Rockette Morton (born Mark Boston; July 14, 1949 in

Salem, Illinois Salem is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,282 at the 2020 census. History Salem was founded in 1823 as the county seat of the newly formed Marion County. It is situated halfway betw ...

) is an American musician, best known as a bassist and guitarist for

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born 'Don Glen Vliet'; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the M ...

and

the Magic Band The Magic Band was the backing band of American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart between 1967 and 1982. The band was formed by guitarist Alex St. Clair with Beefheart as the lead singer; eventually, they morphed into ...

in the 1960s and 1970s.

Career

In 1963, after moving to

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Boston joined up with future Magic Band member Bill Harkleroad (aka

Zoot Horn Rollo Bill Harkleroad (born January 8, 1949), known professionally as Zoot Horn Rollo, is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work with Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. In 2003, he was ranked No. 62 in a ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...

) in a band named B.C. & the Cavemen. He was given the nickname "Rockette Morton" by Captain Beefheart after becoming a member of the Magic Band. Morton played on five of Beefheart's albums: ''

Trout Mask Replica ''Trout Mask Replica'' is the third studio album by the American band Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released as a double album on June 16, 1969, by Straight Records. The music was composed by Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) and arrange ...

'' (produced by

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

in 1969), '' Lick My Decals Off Baby'' (1970), '' The Spotlight Kid'' (1972), ''

Clear Spot ''Clear Spot'' is the seventh studio album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. It was originally released on LP album, LP in 1972 in a clear plastic sleeve. Production Beefheart's third album ''Trout Mask Replica'' established him as a criti ...

'' (1972) and '' Unconditionally Guaranteed'' (1974). He originally played bass guitar, but switched to rhythm guitar after bassist

Roy Estrada Roy Estrada (also known as "Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada" and "Orejón"; born April 17, 1943) is an American former musician. He is best known for being the original bassist of both the Mothers of Invention and Little Fea ...

joined the band. Rockette Morton and Feelers Rebus

In the book ''Lunar Notes: Zoot Horn Rollo's Captain Beefheart Experience'', guitarist Bill Harkleroad details some of the tensions that arose between Beefheart and members of the band. These tensions led to a split in 1974, when Rockette Morton left to form

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

with bandmates John French, Bill Harkleroad, and

Art Tripp Arthur Dyer Tripp III (born September 10, 1944) is an American retired musician who is best known for his work as a percussionist with the original version of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention during the 1960s and Captain Beefheart and ...

. Mallard released two albums, ''

'' (1975) and ''In A Different Climate'' (1976). Following the band's demise, Morton continued performing in various groups as

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

and

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

. Morton released a solo album, ''Love Space'', in 2003, about which he wrote: "If you enjoy listening to this music even half as much as I enjoyed recording it, I did my job." It was recorded at his music studio in Aiken, South Carolina. Prior to the album's release he was featured in an article in the music magazine ''Stomp & Stammer'' (October 2002), titled "The Ring of Rockette Morton", in which he self-identified as "a space nut" and being "pro-space". He was 52 years old at the time and was living in a mobile home, decorated with alien and rocket ship models. In 2003 Morton and other former members of

regrouped and embarked on a world tour, performing Captain Beefheart's music. They have continued to tour regularly as the Magic Band since then.

Discography

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

*''

'' (1969) *''

Lick My Decals Off, Baby ''Lick My Decals Off, Baby'' is the fourth studio album by American musician Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) and the Magic Band, released in December 1970 by Straight and Reprise Records. The follow-up to '' Trout Mask Replica'' (1969), it is ...

'' (1970) *'' The Spotlight Kid'' (1972) *''

'' (1972) *'' Unconditionally Guaranteed'' (1974)

Mallard

*''

'' *'' In a Different Climate''

Solo

*'' Love Space (2003)''

Guest appearances

Ant-Bee Billy James (November 11, 1960 - March 15 2025), better known by his stage name Ant-Bee, was an American experimental musician and writer. In his musical work, he focused on a revival of 1960s style psychedelic rock, working with members of The ...

: ''

Electronic Church Muzik ''Electronic Church Muzik'' is the fourth Album#Studio album, studio album by Ant-Bee, released on February 28, 2011 by Barking Moondog Records. Recorded over the course of several years, it features musical contributions from members of Alice Co ...

'' (Barking Moondog, 2011)

References

External links

Extensive Biographical Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Rockette 1949 births Living people People from Salem, Illinois American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists The Magic Band members American rock guitarists American rhythm guitarists 20th-century American guitarists