Michelle Morris-McCalla

Michelle Morris, the youngest of eight children born to Jamaican parents from Clarendon, describes a life immersed in music and faith from birth.

Her mother, a soloist, and her father, a guitarist, instilled a deep love for music and an energetic approach to life. Initially feeling like an “only child” due to her older siblings having left home, she later discovered their musical talents, including two brothers who were drummers. A significant family legacy was her older brother, Cecil Morris, who founded PCR, an illegal radio station in the early eighties, which first introduced her to gospel via George Franklin’s “Gospel Radio Show.”

Michelle’s own musical involvement began in the Oldbury Children’s Choir, where her extreme shyness led her to prefer singing in groups, a place where she “could hide with everybody else.” Her main influence was her sister Paulette, a keyboardist and singer, whose rehearsals Michelle attended to learn harmonies. She honed her skills by listening to gospel greats like Richard Smallwood, The Winans, Commissioned, and the Clark Sisters on cassettes. Her voice was eventually discovered during family prayer time, leading to her singing solos at church.

After a profound spiritual conversion at sixteen, she became deeply involved in worship teams and church choirs, including district and mass choirs, often led by Audrey Mattis. Her first live gospel concert at age twelve was seeing the Clark Sisters at Central Hall, a moment her mother lovingly recorded. As she matured, Michelle expanded her performing with Tehila, an interdenominational praise and worship event, which exposed her to diverse people and opportunities. Her connection with Audrey Mattis and AMC (Audrey Mattis Choir) provided a family-like, drama-free environment that significantly fostered her vocal growth.

Michelle later moved into event management in her late twenties, leveraging her organizational skills to plan numerous Christian and gospel music events, including her annual “A Soulful Christmas.” She also gained behind-the-scenes experience working on major concerts through GL Live. She highlights influential musicians like Norval Smith and Oli Pinnock for their talent and passion.

Her parents were instrumental in planting the New Testament Church of God in the Midlands, beginning with prayer meetings in their home in response to racism in established churches, leading to a full-fledged church in Handsworth. She fondly recalls Handsworth jamborees as a crucial “time of exposure” that helped launch the careers of artists like Jerome Bucknor and Dean Thomas.

Michelle champions the crucial role of choirs as a “foundation” for developing discipline and confidence. She strongly advocates for musicians to take their skills seriously and for nurturing younger talent, while criticising historical biases against female musicians and denominational “wars and foolishness.” After past missed opportunities with RCA Records, Michelle now, with newfound confidence, prioritizes singing solely to glorify God, viewing her talent as a “testimony” rather than a commercial pursuit.