ABC-TV’s Australian Story spotlights Jenny Morris’ medical woes

ABC-TV’s Australian Story tonight spotlights singer songwriter and music rights activist Jenny Morris. She reveals that ten years ago she was diagnosed with a life- and career-changing medical problem called spasmodic dysphonia.

It is a neurological voice disorder that involves "spasms" of the vocal cords causing interruptions of speech. It also causes the voice to break up or give it a “strangled” quality.

All of which, of course, is the ultimate nightmare for someone who makes her living from singing and talking, and needing to be heard over the sound of crowds in pubs and nightclubs.

There is no cure, and most sufferers get Boxtox injections. But 59-year old Morris opted for lifestyle choices as yoga, meditation and vocal exercises. She kept the problem under wraps. “It was evident that Jenny wanted to just play it down until she knew what was going on,” says her sister, country singer Shanley Del.

New Zealand-born Morris found initial success with The Crocodiles (they had a hit with Tears) before moving to Sydney in February 1981. Aside from forming QED, she hooked up with INXS as a back-up singer on 1983’s The Swing album. She did a duet with Michael Hutchence on Jackson and worked with them on their 1985–1986 Listen Like Thieves World Tour.

A solo career yielded ARIA Top 5 hits as Break In The Weather and She Has To Be Loved and hit albums as Shiver (1989) and Honeychild (1991). She took out the ARIA for Best Female Artist in 1987 and 1988.

Morris continued with her work at APRA, two years ago becoming its first woman Chair in twenty years. She worked passionately for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia and in 2010 was awarded an Order of Australia for her contribution to charity and entertainment.

She says, “I’ve never talked about it publicly, and I think putting the word out there is going to give a sense of relief. That’s why I’m doing Australian Story because I think if you want to know what’s what, look at this program. Then I don’t have to explain it.”

* Australian Story: Raise Your Voice screens at 8 pm on ABC-TV and introduced by Hugo Weaving. Join the conversation: #AustralianStory.