Cary Morin

Cary Lewis Morin was born in Billings, Montana^[2] and grew up in Great Falls, Montana before moving to Northern Colorado.^[9] His father, Leslie Morin, was an Air Force officer^[9] and his mother, Anita (née Yellowtail) Morin, was an artist.^[10] A grandson of Robert Yellowtail,^[11] Morin is an enrolled member of the Crow tribe and is also Assiniboine^[6] with Black ancestry.^[2]

Morin took piano lessons as a child and began playing guitar at age 10. He played in local country, rock, and bluegrass bands as a teenager.^[2] He taught pottery workshops as a senior studio student at CMR High School,^[12] and graduated from high school in 1981. In 1989, he formed a three-piece dance band, The Atoll,^[9] who were featured on Denver's KMGH-TV as the "Best of Colorado."^[13]

Morin is known for his acoustic picking style.^{[14][15][2][9]} His musical style has been characterized as "acoustic Native Americana" with elements of bluegrass, blues, jazz, reggae, and dance.^[9] Morin performs both as a solo artist and as a member of the Young Ancients,^[9] the Cary Morin Duo, and the band Cary Morin & Ghost Dog;^[16][17] his wife, Celeste Di Iorio, also performs in the latter two groups.^[18] He is a former member of the Pura Fé Trio^[19] and The Atoll.^[9] His musical influences include Neil Young, Bob Marley, and Jimi Hendrix.^[20]

Morin received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fort Collins Music Association^[21] and has received fellowship awards from First Peoples Fund^[22] and the National Artist Fellowship.^[6] NPR Music named his live performance of "Jug In The Water" as one of its best live sessions of 2020.^[23]

He has toured the US, France, Denmark, Japan, Belgium, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.^[9] He has performed at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Paris Jazz Festival,^[9] Folk Alliance International, and the Kerrville Folk Festival.^[24][25] On stage, Morin performed in Tribe at the Celebrity Theater and as a guest performer with Kodō. He co-authored Turtle Island, a 50-member stage production that played two consecutive years to sold-out audiences in Northern Colorado.^[26][9]

Morin has been nominated for Aboriginal Entertainer of the Year and Best Blues CD in the Aboriginal Peoples' Choice Music Awards.^[when?][9]

• 1993 - Circle of Friends^[33]
• 1999 - Acoustic Turtle Island
• 2012 - Sing it Louder^[34]
• 2013 - Streamline
• 2014 - Tiny Town
• 2016 - Together^[9]
• 2017 - Cradle to the Grave
• 2018 - When I Rise^[35]
• 2020 - Dockside Saints^[36]
• 2024 - Innocent Allies