October 3, 2016 | Feature Features Celebrity
Guess who’s laughing now, reality TV? “Oh, I remember being in the cattle call at Gilley’s,” says Arlington native Maren Morris. “I didn’t even make it past the round with the producers.” She’s referring to her auditions for both The Voice and American Idol, during which she was promptly dismissed. The singer-songwriter is now enjoying the success of her first album, HERO, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Currently on tour with Keith Urban, Morris plays American Airlines Center Oct. 14. The 26-year-old cites her parent’s musical tastes as her biggest influence. “They are so products of the ’70s. There was a lot of [listening to] Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, but also Patty Griffin and Sheryl Crow.” Morris began playing in local clubs as an 11-year-old, and after her father taught her some chords on the guitar, the Texas music circuit became her stage. When she was 22, Morris moved to Nashville—where she still resides—to become a songwriter, a skill that was confirmed when artists like Tim McGraw, Kelly Clarkson and TV show Nashville recorded her songs. When she does make it back to Dallas, she can be found with her family and friends listening to music at the Granada Theater, The Kessler (“My dad grew up in Oak Cliff”) and Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, or eating tacos at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop or Torchy’s Tacos. “I love tacos,” she says. But her favorite place is Caves Lounge in her hometown. “It’s dark and smoky, with these paintings on the wall, and it’s just got such a good vibe.” But for now, that will have to wait. Morris’ tour schedule is booked solid to the end of the year, a reflection of a career 16 years in the making. “Really good things, the kind of things that have lasting quality—you have to take the long road to get them.”
MORRIS’ HOTS
Maren Karsen Salon in Arlington, being a Texan, Oak Cliff, Angelika Film Center
MORRIS’ NOTS
Not having time to do my laundry or go to the grocery store
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