Drumming News :
Kenny Morris, the original drummer for British post-punk and goth rock pioneers Siouxsie and the Banshees, has died at the age of 68. His death was announced by music journalist and longtime friend John Robb, who shared the news in a tribute honoring Morris’s life and influence. No cause of death was disclosed.
Though his tenure with Siouxsie and the Banshees was relatively brief, spanning from 1977 to 1979, Morris left an outsized mark on the band’s sound and on post-punk music as a whole. His distinctive, tribal drumming style—built around rolling tom patterns, space, and atmosphere rather than flashy cymbal work—defined the group’s early recordings, including The Scream (1978) and Join Hands (1979), as well as the UK Top 10 single “Hong Kong Garden.” His approach would go on to influence generations of drummers across punk, post-punk, and goth, including Joy Division and New Order’s Stephen Morris.
Born in Essex, England, in 1957, Morris came up through the early London punk scene, briefly playing with Sid Vicious in Flowers of Romance before joining the Banshees following their infamous early performance at the 100 Club Punk Festival. After leaving the band in 1979, he continued making music before eventually shifting his focus toward visual art, relocating to Ireland in the 1990s where he lived, taught, and exhibited his work. Remembered as a gentle, creative, and stylish presence, Morris remained a revered figure in underground music circles, with his drumming later sampled by Massive Attack and his influence still resonating decades on.
