Cary Morin

Described as “one of the best acoustic pickers on the scene today,” Cary Morin brings together the great musical traditions of America like no other. With deft fingerstyle guitar and vocals that alternately convey melodic elation and gritty world-weariness, Morin crafts an inimitable style often characterized as roots-infused Native Americana with hints of bluegrass, folk, blues, and rock. He has performed at renowned venues across the globe, including the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, and is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. David Bromberg remarks, “Cary Morin is a unique and brilliant guitar player, songwriter and singer. As a guitar player, I have huge respect for Cary’s style and technique…. If you haven’t heard him yet, you should. Try to remember that it’s only one guitar.” Music critic Bill Hurley writes, “His guitar skill is jaw-dropping, his voice is warm, worn of world experience, and his songwriting allows both of those things to flourish and captivate anyone in the room.”

Along with his life partner, Celeste Di Iorio, together they form the Cary Morin Duo.  Celeste has her own history in the world of performance, having been involved in dance, theater, and music for many years.  She is a vocalist and, as she would say, “a strummer on guitar.” Celeste has played and sung with Cary for over 11 years.

Adding to his many awards, in 2019, Cary Morin took home an Indigenous Music Award for Best Blues CD for the second time. The same year, he also was named Telluride Blues and Brews Blues Champion and won a Telly bronze award for his music video “When I Rise.” In 2018, he won an Independent Music Award for Best Blues CD, an honorable mention in the 2018 International Songwriting Competition, and a Native Arts and Cultures Fellowship. In 2017, he won an Indigenous Music Award for Best Blues CD and a First Peoples Fund Artist in Business Leadership fellowship. He also was nominated that year for Best Acoustic Blues Album by Blues Blast Magazine. Additional accolades include a nomination for the 2016 Best Blues CD in the Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards, a nomination for the 2015 Indigenous Music Award for Best Folk Album, and a nomination for the 2014 Indigenous Music Award for Aboriginal Entertainer of the Year. In 2013 and 2014, he won the Colorado Blues Challenge Solo Championship. He has over 35,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with over 3 million hits on a single song, as well as over 18,000 Facebook followers.

Cary has collaborated with, shared the stage with, or opened for numerous music legends, including Los Lobos, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Osborne, David Bromberg, Arlo Guthrie, Tony Trishka, Guy Davis, David Wilcox, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Spencer Bohren, Charlie Musslewhite, Brian Stoltz, the Subdudes, and Phil Cook, to mention a few.

As an internationally touring musician, Cary has performed in the US, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, and the UK. He has played renowned venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Paris Jazz Festival, Winter Park Jazz Festival, Folk Alliance International, River People Festival, Shakori Hills Festival, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Rochefort En Accords festival in France, Copenhagen Blues Festival, and many more. His music has reached millions on national TV in Japan, France, and the UK, as well as on national radio in the US (NPR’s Beale Street Caravan), UK (BBC’s Whose London), France (RFI), Switzerland, and Belgium.

In 2011, “Ole Midlife Crisis,” a song Cary wrote and performed with the Pura Fé Trio, placed at number 17 on France’s iTunes blues chart. Additional credits include Tribe at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, and co-authorship of Turtle Island, a 50-member production that played two consecutive years to sold-out audiences in Northern Colorado. With the Red Willow Dancers, he was a guest of the internationally renowned Kodo Drummers, performing at their 1998 Spring Festival and additional dates in Japan. In 1989, he founded The Atoll, a rock-reggae-blues band that toured the US for over 13 years.

In addition to his solo pursuits, Cary performs with his band Cary Morin & Ghost Dog, a high-energy roots rock band. He also collaborates with Will Kimbrough, Grayson Capps, and Corky Hughes in a group known as Rancho Deluxe.

Morin was born in Billings, Montana. A Crow tribal member with Assiniboine Sioux and Black heritage, and son of an air force officer, he spent the bulk of his youth in Great Falls, where he cut his teeth picking guitar standards at neighborhood get-togethers. When not touring the US and Europe, he calls Northern Colorado home.