Great bands from the past

7 April 2023

Band: MORPHINE
Who: Highly praised (rightly so)
jazz-pop-rock-blues group from
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Mark Sandman: singer-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist)
Dana Colley: baritone and tenor saxophonist
Jerome Deupree: drummer

The band made 5 albums between 1992 and 2000. Their last one The Night
(with drummer Billy Conway) was recorded just before the sudden death of
frontman Mark Sandman. He passed away due to a heart attack onstage in
Palestrina, Italy, on July 3, 1999. Only 46 years old. R.I.P.

AllMusic about the band: “Morphine is a rarity. Bluesy, bare-bones rock & roll
without any guitars. Instead of guitar riffs, the trio relies on sliding two-string basslines,
raucous saxophones, and wry, ironically detached vocals. During the mid-’90s, Morphine
gained a sizable cult following in America, primarily due to good word of mouth, heavy
college airplay, and positive reviews.”

After Sandman‘s passing the remaining members decided to continue
as Vapors Of Morphine. They’re still going strong to this day. Latest
album: Fear & Fantasy (2021). More info on their website.

Three great Morphine moments.

– BUENA –
From 1993 album Cure For Pain

– HONEY WHITE –

From 1995 album YES

– CURE FOR PAIN –
Title track of their 1993 LP.

MORPHINE: All Albums

Morphine, live in Belgium (Brielpoort, Deinze) 1995 – Great concert! Great memory!

(image on top: cover of EP ‘Live at the Warfield 1997’)