Pete Morgan
Encyclopedia
Colin Peter Morgan was a British poet, lyricist and television documentary author and presenter.
Morgan's career as a poet began in the mid-1950s when he was 16 and living alone in London. He entered the British Army
and rose to the rank of infantry platoon commander while serving in West Germany
but began to question this career choice. By the mid-1960s he had become a pacifist
and resigned his commission.
In 1964, he moved to Edinburgh
, Scotland
, where he started to publish his poems and to perform recitals in public.
Born a Lancastrian
, he returned to the North of England in 1971, though this time to Yorkshire
, to live and work in the fishing village of Robin Hood's Bay
.
Over the years, Morgan has emphasized the oral tradition of poetry and song. Some of his poems have been set to music and have been recorded by such artists as Al Stewart
("My Enemies Have Sweet Voices" on the 1970 "Zero She Flies" album), The McCalmans
and most recently The Levellers
. (During his 1999 UK Tour, Al Stewart invited Morgan to read the lyrics as he performed the above song in the City Varieties Theatre show at Leeds on 7 November).
Morgan's BBC
Television series - 'A Voyage Between Two Seas', first screened in 1983, presented a journey across Northern England
via the region's waterways. His subsequent TV programme 'The Grain Run', told the story of the Roman
supply route from East Anglia
to the Yorkshire town of Aldborough
.
Other
Morgan's career as a poet began in the mid-1950s when he was 16 and living alone in London. He entered the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and rose to the rank of infantry platoon commander while serving in West Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
but began to question this career choice. By the mid-1960s he had become a pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
and resigned his commission.
In 1964, he moved to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where he started to publish his poems and to perform recitals in public.
Born a Lancastrian
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, he returned to the North of England in 1971, though this time to Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, to live and work in the fishing village of Robin Hood's Bay
Robin Hood's Bay
Robin Hood’s Bay is a small fishing village and a bay located five miles south of Whitby and 15 miles north of Scarborough on the coast of North Yorkshire, England. Bay Town, its local name, is in the ancient chapelry of Fylingdales in the wapentake of Whitby Strand.-Toponymy:The origin of the name...
.
Over the years, Morgan has emphasized the oral tradition of poetry and song. Some of his poems have been set to music and have been recorded by such artists as Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
("My Enemies Have Sweet Voices" on the 1970 "Zero She Flies" album), The McCalmans
The McCalmans
The McCalmans were a folk song trio from Scotland. Formed in 1964, they recorded and toured without interruption up until they disbanded in December 2010....
and most recently The Levellers
The Levellers (band)
The Levellers are an English rock band, founded in 1988 and based in Brighton, England. Their musical style is said to be influenced by punk and traditional English music.-1988-1990:...
. (During his 1999 UK Tour, Al Stewart invited Morgan to read the lyrics as he performed the above song in the City Varieties Theatre show at Leeds on 7 November).
Morgan's BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Television series - 'A Voyage Between Two Seas', first screened in 1983, presented a journey across Northern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
via the region's waterways. His subsequent TV programme 'The Grain Run', told the story of the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
supply route from East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
to the Yorkshire town of Aldborough
Aldborough, North Yorkshire
Aldborough is a village in the civil parish of Boroughbridge, part of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England.Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, what is now known as Aldborough was built on the site of a major Romano-British town, Isurium Brigantum...
.
Works
Poetry collections- 19731973 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Canadian poet and author, Michael Ondaatje adapts his 1970 book of poetry, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, into a play which this year is first produced in Stratford, Ontario; it will appear in...
: The Grey Mare Being the Better Steed, Martin Secker & Warburg - 19791979 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The Kenyon Review is restarted by Kenyon College 10 years after the original publication was closed....
: The Spring Collection, Secker & Warburg - 19801980 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Mark Jarman and Robert McDowell started the small magazine The Reaper to promote narrative and formal poetry....
: One Greek Alphabet, including a sequence of poems commissioned by the Ilkley Literature Festival; illustrated by Hella Basu; Ceolfrith Press - 19831983 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The Frogmore Press founded by Andre Evans and Jeremy Page at the Frogmore tea-rooms in Folkestone...
: A Winter Visitor, Secker & Warburg - 20052005 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* October 7 — Celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the first reading of Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl were staged in San Francisco, New York City, and in Leeds in the UK...
: August Light ISBN 1-904614-23-X
Other
- 1968: "A Big Hat Or What?", his first pamphlet, the Kevin Press
- 1971: work included in Poetry: Introduction 2, part of Faber & Faber's "Poetry: Introduction" series
- 2001: Talking Cello, writer, researcher and presenter for the programme on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
in collaboration with the cellist Tony Moore, featuring a number of Morgan's poems - The Other Wittgenstein, writer, researcher and presenter for the programme on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...