PEOPLE
MUSIC FOR THE MASSES Ron Morrissey leads a full life playing for seniors STORY BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI | PHOTOS BY LUIS CHAVEZ
M
usician Ron Morrissey could not make a living out of performing, but playing for seniors has enriched his life. The Marina del Rey singer/guitarist performs 100 shows a year for isolated seniors in Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, Beverly Hills , Culver City, Playa Vista, Hermosa Beach, West Palm Beach Florida and Tuscany, Italy. The project started merely as a way to entertain his mother-in-law after he retired in 2014. “It had a wraparound porch, and I brought my guitar,” the 71-yearold says about her retirement home. “She suffers from Alzheimer’s, and I was playing for her. I looked up and there were 30 clients in the audience. They came in from everywhere, sitting around this wraparound porch. “They were so happy I was playing music. I looked at my wife ( Joan F. Morrissey) and said, ‘Look at this.’ That was about 11 years ago. I did it first during the summers off from teaching. Now I do it all year round.” He specializes in pop music — “sunshine pop” as it’s been called — from the 1940s to 1960s. Morrissey presents an upbeat show with songs that have sold 1 million copies or more by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Fats Domino, and the Moody Blues. He wants to ensure everyone knows the tunes he’s playing. Morrissey has been a musician since he was about 6. Believing he could not pay the bills playing music, he pursued economics and banking careers. Toward the end of his career, he (Continued on page 16) 14 14 PLAYA PLAYA VISTA VISTA DIRECT DIRECT || OCTOBER OCTOBER -- NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 2021 2021
Ron Morrissey says the pandemic-dictated break from performing allowed him to add songs to his set. (Photos by Luis Chavez)
