Earthquake rumbles

Sean McCarthy

Greg “Earthquake” Morton has devoted a lot of time and energy to things that make life rich.

For more than five decades, this Dartmouth resident has used his talents and passions for food and music to entertain untold thousands. And at the age of 73, his resume and scrapbook are only adding more memories and accomplishments.

Throughout Morton’s years, one door has opened after another door has closed. What began as a member of a Boston-based “party band” in the early 1970s would eventually put him in the company of some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names. Whether onstage or backstage, in the kitchen or in the studio, Morton’s skills have contributed to a life steeped in experiences and achievements that shows no signs of ceasing.

He has a lot to look back on and plenty to look forward to.

Today Morton is part of a new album being released by a band he has been a part of for 50 years, Duke & The Drivers. At the same time, he is lauded for catering high-end food for celebrations and events throughout the region. In addition to booking international stars to perform at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford, he is gaining recognition for his abilities as a narrator of films and other projects.

“In my life, it’s never been the same thing twice,” he claims. “I don’t go to work every day and sit in the same cubicle. There’s nothing like the entertainment business.”

As a freshman at Boston University, this Albany native formed a friendship that would benefit him for more than 50 years with a classmate named Tom Swift. Together the duo would help launch Duke & The Drivers, a gregarious R&B band that would bring their goodtime vibes to rooms throughout the northeast and beyond. With invaluable support from Boston radio station WBCN, the group’s reinterpretations of R&B tunes were a memory-making machine for Morton, the band’s bassist and occasional vocalist.

“In 1974, Duke and The Drivers got to open for the J. Geils Band at the old Boston Garden,” Morton recalls. “It was an amazing venue that reeked of the history of concerts, sports, and political events. It was awe inspiring. It was also great to open for one of my favorite bands of that time. Their lead singer Peter Wolf was a friend and a great guy who had the night shift at WBCN and played a lot of songs that we both loved.”

Morton also recalls the moment in 1973, when WBCN played a Duke & The Drivers’ song, “Check Your Bucket,” on the air.

“It was surreal to be in my car and hear one of our songs,” he says. “It was during the heyday of the station when they were atop the Prudential. Their passion for the band was such a component of our success.”

Today, Duke & The Drivers are in the process of compiling another album of material, a full-length release called “Showtime” that will be available early next year. Morton says the band benefits from “Euphoric recall” – the ability for fans of the band to be transported back to younger and wilder days when the band would invigorate dance floors with their compelling grooves.

But while Duke & The Drivers were touring, they and other musicians soon discovered another talent of Morton’s – his skill for cooking, an invaluable ability that would sustain him in future incarnations he could not have foreseen. His ability to blend music and food, two penchants that were part of his upbringing, would lead to a string of successes that still sustain him.

Dish It Out

“Food gave me the best communication I ever had,” he says. “My dad was a great cook. I spent a lot of time hanging around with him in our kitchen. Some of my favorite memories with my mother include sitting with her and watching Julia Child on PBS. I started making donuts at the age of six, and years later I was cooking for Aerosmith and Jonathan Edwards.”

In 1999, this “Rock-andRoll Chef” would appear on the Food Network, preparing Filet of Sole Veronique, for the show “In Food Today.” Morton got the gig after friend and Aerosmith Manager, Tim Collins, tabbed him after a last-minute cancellation on the program.

“Being on that show was something I’d always dreamed of doing,” Morton says. “It was so daunting to walk into the studio, meeting Mario Batali and the others.”

But at that point, Morton was used to daunting cooking jobs. From June 1982 to 2000, he was the chef and co-owner (with his wife Sally) of the Bridge Street Café in the Padanaram section of South Dartmouth. The idea for the restaurant came from Tom Swift, who had enjoyed much of Morton’s culinary skills throughout their friendship, particularly while they were on the road with the band.

“When I think of Greg, I think of amazing food,” says Swift, a Dartmouth-based attorney specializing in Digital Media Law, and the singer and keyboardist for Duke & The Drivers. “Whenever we were on the road we had the best food and the best coffee of any band in the country. Greg is remembered very fondly for that. For years after, Bridge Street Café was the best restaurant in the South Coast – nothing compared to it. It was a nice way for Greg to settle down after the years of rock-and-roll.”

The Bridge Street Café would regularly have celebrities enjoying Morton’s cuisine, including Gene Hackman, Timothy Hutton, Dan Akroyd, Dom DeLuise, Tia Leone, and David Duchovny.

And today, Morton’s love of food and music are still major priorities for him. Since 2003, he has run the catering business, “Morton’s Fork,” in the south end of New Bedford. With the slogan, “Great Food Is The Life Of The Party,” the company is in demand throughout the region, catering events that range from cocktail parties to groups of 200 or more.

Showtime

But in 2005, Morton would acquire his dream job: music programming at the Zeiterion Theatre in downtown New Bedford. It is an opportunity that allows him to combine his love of music with his love of cooking, catering for many of the artists who perform there. Many times he is cooking food for performers he has idolized for much of his life.

“I’ve been like a kid in a candy store, having the ability to book performers such as Solomon Burke, James Brown, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Etta James, Buddy Guy, and so many more,” he says. “I’ve regularly had magical experiences.”

Those magical experiences often include cooking for the performers. Sixty to 70 times a year, Morton uses his skills to supply artists with quality dining experiences.

“When people are coming in to do a gig, this is their home for the day, and food is very important to them. They may have 25 shows behind them and another 20 ahead of them. They’re going to perform for about two hours and sleep for nine or 10, so for the other 12 hours food is important. I know what musicians feel like when they’re on the road, I can totally relate to them. I’ve got to get it right.”

Morton says he derives unique pleasure from both the food and music events he helps bring to others.

“There’s always anxiety before an event, but I love the gratification that comes from seeing people enjoy what I’ve created,” he says. “When people come up to you after a show, or you see 150 people standing at a buffet line enjoying themselves, there’s nothing like it. It’s fantastic to get a positive reaction from people.”

And Morton has been getting positive reactions with a fairly new endeavor. Four years ago, he began using his unmistakable bass tone to do narration and voice overs for films and events, a career that is providing him with a growing number of opportunities – a burgeoning and promising path for a person in his mid-70s. For years he has done narration promoting events at the Zeiterion, but he has recently been nominated for an award at the Oaxaca FilmFest for his narration on the film Jala Suite: Each Is Another. In 2019, he was nominated for an illustrious SOVAS Award (Outstanding Audio Description for Museums and Cultural Sites) based on the work he did on ]\the Walking Tour of Westport Harbor. Morton has also narrated “Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker,” an audiobook about the Joe Perry Project.

And these days Morton has one other valued priority – watching his family grow. His daughter Caroline lives in Dartmouth (with daughter Stella) and Isabelle lives in New Bedford (with son Oscar and daughter Alice).

Morton’s winding road has been full of food, funk, friends, and family, touching myriad souls and providing him with a life rich in memories, blessings that have come from holding fast to his passions.

“Greg is one of the top caterers in the South Coast, serving hundreds of people with beautifully catered meals, and everyone whose eaten a meal at the Zeiterion will tell you it’s the best food you’ll get on the road,” Swift says. “There’s only one ‘Earthquake’ Morton.”

Sean McCarthy has been a freelance journalist for 35 years. He lives in New Bedford.