John Morris was born on October 18, 1926 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA. He was a composer, known for Blazing Saddles (1974), The Elephant Man (1980) and Coach (1989). He was married to Francesca Bosetti. He died on January 25, 2018 in Red Hook, New York, USA.
Morris attended the Jordan Conservatory in Indianapolis, the University of Washington, the new School for Social Research, and the Julliard School of Music.
Morris studied piano with Alfred Mirovich and conducting and composing with Victor Kolar. Morris debuted as a concert pianist with the Evansville Philharmonic.
Morris composed a musical version of "How Green Was My Valley in 1966 under the title "A Time for Singing." Unfortunately it was not successful.
I thought I wanted to be a concert pianist, but I didn't like practicing , and that should have been a cue. Then I began doing composing and arranging on Broadway, and I soon realized I had found my vocation.