Luke Morley (born 19 June 1960 in Camberwell, London, England) is the guitarist, chief songwriter and producer for the hard rock band Thunder[1] from 1989 to present (with a break from 1999–2002, and 2009–2011). Previous to that he was a member of 1980s group, Terraplane who subsequently became Thunder.[2]

Luke Morley
Morley with Thunder in 2005
Morley with Thunder in 2005
Background information
Born (1960-06-19) 19 June 1960 (age 64)
OriginLondon, England
GenresRock
Occupations
  • Singer
  • guitarist
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1985–present
LabelsVarious
Member of
Formerly ofTerraplane
Websitelukemorleyonline.com

Early life

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Luke was born on the 19th of June 1960 in Camberwell, London, and attended Haberdasher Aske's Hatcham College. There he met Danny Bowes for the first time, in September 1971. They became friends three years later and formed the band Nuthin' Fancy, and spent four years touring in South London before forming Terraplane.[3]

Terraplane

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After Nuthin' Fancy, Morley and Bowes went on to form the band Terraplane.[2] They appeared at the Reading Festival in 1982 and released two albums before breaking up in 1988. Both Morley and Bowes decided they wanted to pursue a hard rock sound.

Thunder

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Morley formed Thunder in 1989 with Bowes and Harry James from Terraplane and were joined by Ben Matthews. They signed a record deal with EMI in 1989.[3]

The Union

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In 2009, when Thunder announced that they were splitting up, Morley became the lead guitarist and co-songwriter for the rock band the Union, which he formed with guitarist and co-songwriter, Peter Shoulder. [citation needed] They released three albums before Thunder reformed in 2011.[4]

Return to Thunder

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Thunder reformed in 2011 following a two-year hiatus, and has since released another five albums.

Solo career

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Morley released his first solo album, El Gringo Retro, in 2001. Tales from the Blue Room, which was recorded during the COVID-19 lockdowns, followed in 2023.[5] Morley played all of the instruments except drums on the album, and is due to tour in January 2024 to promote the album.[6]

Morley confirmed in a Facebook post in October 2024 that he is working on his third solo album.[7]

The Quireboys

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In November 2023 it was announced that Morley had recorded an album with the Quireboys, and would tour in 2024 to promote the album.[8]

Personal Life

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Morley is married to Tara, who works in the film industry, but they do not have children.[9]

Equipment

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Guitars

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Morley regularly plays the following guitars:

Other guitars in his collection include the Gibson EDS-1275.

Amps

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  • Marshall Vintage Modern

Harmonicas

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Discography

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with Terraplane

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  • Black and White (1985)
  • Moving Target (1987)

with Thunder

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with the Quireboys

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Solo

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  • El Gringo Retro (2001)
  • Songs from the Blue Room (2023)

Bowes & Morley

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  • Moving Swiftly Along (2002)
  • Mo's Barbeque (2004)

The Union

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  • The Union (2010)
  • Siren's Song (2011)
  • The World Is Yours (2013)

Other appearances

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References

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  1. ^ Bush, John. "Biography: Thunder". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  2. ^ a b Brown, Marisa. "Biography: Terraplane". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b http://www.daveling.co.uk/doc-thunder.htm#article [bare URL]
  4. ^ Bennett, Sean (25 February 2020). "INTERVIEW: Peter Shoulder – Silverthorne". The Rockpit. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  5. ^ https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/thunder-luke-morley-solo-album/ [bare URL]
  6. ^ "Luke Morley Announces New Year Solo UK Tour". www.metaltalk.net. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  7. ^ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=932946552191352&set=a.336924631793550&locale=en_GB
  8. ^ https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/news/rock-news/quireboys-wardour-street/ [bare URL]
  9. ^ https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/luke-morley
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