From Aerospace to the Blues Stage: Laurie Morvan gave up engineering for soul-feeding gig

click to enlarge From Aerospace to the Blues Stage: Laurie Morvan gave up engineering for soul-feeding gig
(Laurie Morvan/Submitted)
Laurie Morvan performs during the grand finale of Tucson’s official Blues Week.

It's not easy choosing a chaotic, uncertain gig over a lucrative, secure career. Laurie Morvan left a challenging, well-paying job as an electrical engineer in the aerospace industry for life on the road as a blues guitarist. After three years on the company payroll, the accomplished licensed pilot decided to become a musician after being blown away by the late guitar icon Stevie Ray Vaughan.

"I loved music growing up, but my ship didn't get pointed toward the blues until I heard Stevie Ray Vaughan," Morvan said while calling from her Long Beach, California, home. "Listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan for the first time was a transformative moment for me. It literally changed my life."

Morvan fell for the blues and checked out Vaughan's influences: Albert King, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, B.B. King and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

"I learned so much and what was most important is that I learned that I loved the blues," Morvan said. 

Morvan, 63, was compelled to leave aerospace for the stage. "I was young and in my '20s and I didn't have kids," Morvan said. "If I was going to do this, it was time to have this adventure. I knew I could always go back to my job." 

That was never necessary since Morvan focused on the blues and taught college math classes on the side. "I was never afraid of hard work," Morvan said. "I was a calculus and trigonometry instructor at the college level. I would be grading calculus exams while in the back of a van on the way to a gig. Music fed my soul and I can say the same thing for teaching."

There are some common denominators between music and math. "There are 12-half notes, there's 12-bar blues and chord progressions," Morvan said. "Music has patterns and you can subdivide the beat. Math has logic to it and a set of rules. I'm a math person and I love making and playing music."

Morvan has crafted six albums, which feature provocative blues cuts, which avoid the tired cliches, which plague many in her genre. 

There's often a bit of humor in the mix, which is infused in "Too Dumb To Quit." "I wrote that song from the perspective of a relationship," Morvan said. "But it definitely could be applied to music. We're still doing this, so I guess we're too dumb to quit."

There's nothing dumb about the brainy bard, who is looking forward to returning Saturday with her band to the Blues Heritage Festival at Kennedy Park. "I can't wait to come back since Tucson is such a cool place," Morvan said. "We've played there in conjunction with the blues society and at Hotel Congress and the vibe I've always had is that it's a fun, vibrant place."

A live album that has yet to be titled is next up for Morvan. "We're mixing a live album that we recorded in Canada last year," Morvan said. "It turned out so good that we decided to release it." 

When the live album is complete, Morvan will work on new songs. "There's always something to write about," Morvan said. "I still get excited about music. I feel the same way about music as when I was a kid."

Morvan grew up in the middle of Illinois during the '70s with pop and rock hits emanating from her mom's radio and traditional country from her father's record collection. Morvan played the flute and was part of the marching band. "I loved it," Morvan said. "I was in the drum section."

While studying electrical engineering at the University of Illinois, Morvan would catch as many concerts that played her campus with the exception of Fleetwood Mac. "The tickets for Fleetwood Mac were $12.50," Morvan said. "They played Assembly Hall. I remember thinking how much I love that band but it was just too much money."

Tickets for legacy bands are at a premium and prohibitive for many but the cost for Morvan's shows are reasonable. "The more people that come out and experience what I do the better," Morvan said. 

The tall, lanky Morvan is like fire and ice onstage since she delivers incendiary solos via her Fender Stratocaster and lightens the mood with banter between songs. "It's always so much fun for me to perform," Morvan said. "I made the right decision when I decided to go with music."

The Blues Heritage Festival is the grand finale of Tucson's official Blues Week. 

The School of Rock Tucson, singer-songwriter Eric Ramsey, blues tandem Arthur Migliazza and Tom Walbank, Arizona Blues Hall of Famers The Bryan Dean Trio, Arizona Arts Live's The Porch Rockers and Brazilian guitarist Artur Menezes are also on the bill. 

Blues Heritage Festival featuring The Laurie Morvan Band

WHEN: The event starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26; the Laurie Morvan Band performs at 3:45 p.m.

WHERE: Kennedy Park, 3357 S. La Cholla Boulevard, Tucson

COST:$25 in advance and $30 at the door.

INFO: azblues.org