Kenny Morris, who famously played drums in Siouxsie and the Banshees, has died at the age of 69.
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin. The Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious played drums for the pair at their first gig and Kenny later asked if he could replace Sid, joining the pair on the drums, alongside guitarist John McKay.
Music journalist John Robb, a longtime friend of Kenny, wrote a heartfelt tribute to Kenny for the publication Louder Than War, in which he called him “sweet, articulate, artistic and fascinating company, and his beautiful eccentricity was adorable”.
His cause of death remains unknown.
In recent years, Kenny has turned to art, with his paintings exhibited in Dublin, Ireland. According to John, he had also returned to music, and was playing for Dublin post-punk goth band Shrine Of The Vampyre.
© Redferns“The last time I saw him was in Cork in early December when [he] came to see my band, the Membranes play. He stood at the front with his intense face, taking it all in with his eyes, staring intently. Afterwards, we spoke for a couple of hours and he was as full of tangents and plans as ever delivered in his quiet voice,” wrote John.
Kenny quit Siouxsie at the beginning of the tour for their second album, with reports of Kenny and John leaving an in-store signing after an argument and refusing to ever return. Robert Smith of The Cure was touring with the band at the time and stepped in as their temporary guitarist; he returned several times to perform with the band across the following decades.
© RedfernsBritish publicist Murray Chalmers paid tribute, writing: “RIP Kenny Morris, drummer of Siouxsie and the Banshees, my favourite group of all time. Kenny was so amazing. Play their debut album, The Scream, today, and it pins you to the wall, just as it did in 1978.”
“At the peak of their powers, no one could beat the Banshees, and Kenny was a vital part of that intensity, tension and power. What a drummer! What a group! (The second photo btw is Kenny and I at a party around 1985 I think),” he added.
“Kenny was one of my favourite drummers – a lethal mix of Mo Tucker and the Glitter Band. So original,” wrote Primal Scream in the comments. “That Banshees line up was perfection. Saw them on The Scream tour in 1978 at Glasgow Apollo. They invented a new kind of rock. Trailblazers. Often imitated never bettered.”
Writer Jon Savage shared: “RIP Kenny Morris: original punk, Banshee drummer extraordinaire. I knew him well in the Banshees and was in touch with him recently about his memoir. Which I hope will be published. God bless you Kenny.”
Kenny was born to Irish parents in Essex, England, and after leaving the band he worked for other artists on their tours, as well as directing five short films.
In the early 1990s he moved to Ireland and ran an art gallery in Kildare Town as well as teaching.
In 2021 revealed he was working on a memoir titled A Banshee Left Wailing, that was planned to be published in 2026.
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