Before becoming widely known as the guitar player for Kansas (in 1986-1991) and Deep Purple (in 1994-2022), the American musician Steve Morse (*1954) was the head and main composer of the bands Dixie Dregs (founded around 1973) and Steve Morse Band (founded in 1983). During this time he established a reputation of being a skillful und versatile master of his instrument, frequently praised by fellow guitarists. However, his achievements as creator of inventive and unique music are no less remarkable, but often overlooked.
For this reason, this website presents the music that was written by Steve Morse and played by the Dixie Dregs (and, later, the Steve Morse Band) on a number of albums over some decades. Be prepared for an exciting ride – sometimes challenging, mostly rewarding, never boring.
Introducing Dixie Dregs
The Dixie Dregs (often just called “Dregs”) consist of five musicians, playing the:
🎸 guitar
🎻 violin
🎹 keyboards
𝄢🎸 bass guitar
🥁 drums.
None of them sings (or raps).
Starting in 1975, the Dregs recorded ten albums over a time span of 25 years, the first seven of them by 1982. These albums are:
In addition, some compilations and live albums were released. As these albums contain only songs that were recorded previously, they are not mentioned on this website.
These ten albums were recorded by a total of eleven musicians:
On these ten albums, there are four pieces which feature a guest musician (Steve Howe, Alex Ligertwood, Patrick Simmons and Dweezil Zappa respectively).
As the above tables suggest, the years up to 1982 were a period when being in the band was a full-time job for its members, who created one album a year and toured in between. I’d like to call this the “classic” period of the band.
In 1983, the Dixie Dregs disbanded, but since reunited occasionally for a tour or recording.
Complete list of pieces recorded by the Dixie Dregs, shown with track number on the respective album:
Introducing Steve Morse Band
In 1983, Steve Morse and Rod Morgenstein teamed up with bass guitar player Jerry Peek and founded the Steve Morse Band, continuing some of the Dregs’ musical concepts in the form of a rock guitar trio. This line-up released three albums.
From 1989 on, the line-up of the Steve Morse Band has consisted of Steve Morse, bass guitar player Dave LaRue, and drummer Van Romaine, recording a total of eight albums.
(Information about the music of the Steve Morse Band might later be added to this website.)