Legendary Tampa Recording Studio MORRISOUND Honored With Historical Marker; JON OLIVA, 'NASTY' RONNIE Among Attendees

On Friday, May 16, the original location of the legendary Tampa, Florida-area recording studio Morrisound Recording in Temple Terrace — which had been used by countless metal bands over the years, including SEPULTURA, DEATH, ICED EARTH, DEICIDE, OBITUARY, CANNIBAL CORPSE and MALEVOLENT CREATION — received a Historical Marker from Hillsborough County, Florida. The studio was honored with the plaque to acknowledge its contributions to the music industry. A reception followed at Magnanimous Brewing in Seminole Heights, just a short drive from Morrisound's new location at 8003 N 9th St. in Sulphur Springs. Photos from both events can be found below.

Among the musicians who attended the festivities were Jon Oliva (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA),"Nasty" Ronnie Galletti (NASTY SAVAGE),David Austin (NASTY SAVAGE),Jeff Lords (CRIMSON GLORY) and Paul Mazurkiewicz (CANNIBAL CORPSE).

According to the Tampa Bay Times, more than 150 historical markers are scattered around Hillsborough County, all approved by the County Commission. Green in color, they are approved and maintained by the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council and paid for by the applicant.

At its peak, the facility, founded and run by brothers Tom and Jim Morris, had acoustic properties and equipment that rivaled the major New York and Los Angeles studios used by major-label acts.

Morrisound had been in business since 1981 and has recorded virtually every style of music from quiet string ensembles to heavy rock, with everything in between, including jazz, country, gospel, bluegrass, folk, rap, hip-hop, punk, funk, R&B, and death metal, just to name a few.

"No sane person decides to open a recording studio to get rich or famous," Tom Morris told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

"We have worked our entire careers to help the artists we've recorded achieve their creative vision. This marker is an acknowledgment of those efforts, along with those of our staff and the many dedicated artists that came through our door in the '80s and '90s. It was the artists' visions and our execution that led to the rise of a new musical genre in Tampa Bay and the world," Tom added. "We are very proud that this groundbreaking work has been recognized by the county with this marker. Now we need to figure out how to get rich or famous."

In 2011, the original studio was burglarized and hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment and instruments, as well as platinum and gold records, were stolen.

In announcing the news of the Historical Marker, Morrisound said that it is releasing a celebratory t-shirt, listing the 20 best-selling death metal albums to come from the studio.

Morrisound commented: "We are pleased to announce that Hillsborough County has awarded Morrisound Recording, Inc. a Historical Marker to honor the contributions that were made to the music industry by Morrisound and its staff, especially in the field of extreme metal production.

"The marker will be placed at the site of our earlier studios on 56th St. in Temple Terrace, the site of some of the most well-known extreme metal recordings during the 1980s and 90s."

Morrisound later became the recording home base for operatic rock band TRANS-SIBERAN ORCHESTRA, which eventually bought the original studio from the Morris brothers in 2015.

In recent years, Tom and Jim Morris repurposed a small, 1920s-era bank building in Sulphur Springs into a smaller studio in order to keep with the times.

In 2022, Tom Morris decided to step away from the console after experiencing severe hearing loss not related to his line of work. Tom, who reportedly suffers from an auto-immune disorder called Meniere's Disease, is continuing to handle Morrisound's business affairs.