Draft:Walter Lee Morris

• Comment: I recommend reading WP:REFB. Wikipedia shouldn't be used as a reference on Wikipedia. Other than that, your sources don't really provide significant coverage. EatingCarBatteries _{(contribs | talk)} 05:34, 12 July 2026 (UTC)

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Walter Lee Morris (July 24, 1948 – March 24, 2011), known professionally by his songwriting pseudonym Lee Walter, was an American guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, and musical director. He was a central figure in the mid-1970s East Coast soul, funk, and early disco movements.

Morris is best known as the musical director for the R&B vocal group The Moments (later renowned as Ray, Goodman & Brown) and as the founder and leader of the All Platinum Records house rhythm section, The Rimshots (also known as People of Pleasure). As an instrumentalist, composer, and arranger, Morris was a primary architect of the "Englewood Sound" developed at All Platinum Studios in New Jersey. His work yielded major chart hits, including the number-one Billboard R&B singles "Look At Me (I'm In Love)" and "Special Lady."

His compositions have since been sampled by Jay-Z, Drake, The Roots, The Alchemist, Ghostface Killah, and Danny Brown.

Early life and Richmond roots

Walter Lee Morris was born on July 24, 1948, in Hanover, Virginia, to Andrew Morris and Annie W. Morris. Raised in a musical family, he learned guitar from his uncle Tommy and his brothers and sisters, who were active regional musicians in Virginia.

The family later relocated to Richmond, Virginia, where Morris attended Maggie L. Walker High School, honing his talent performing with regional bands. His style combined the rhythm elements of southern soul with a smooth, jazz-influenced lead technique.

Musical siblings and collaborations

Sister: Jeroline Morris

Morris's sister, Jeroline Deloris Morris (1947 – May 19, 2026), was a guitarist, bassist, and drummer. She played guitar for The Sweet Inspirations, the long-time opening act and backing vocalists for Elvis Presley from 1968 until 1977, and also backed Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Herbie Mann, Nina Simone, and Solomon Burke.

Jeroline's guitar work is documented on:

• Estelle, Myrna And Sylvia (Stax Records, 1973) by The Sweet Inspirations, produced by David Porter and Ronnie Williams, on tracks including "Wishes and Dishes", "Emergency", and "The Whole World Is Out"
• Sweat & Love (Enterprise Records, 1973) by David Porter, including "Didn't Know Love Was So Good"

Jeroline referred Richmond drummer Clarence "Foot" Oliver — whom she had played with in the group The Creations — to her brother Walter, who hired Oliver as touring and studio drummer for The Moments and leader of The Rimshots. Jeroline Morris remained a lifelong musician in Richmond, Virginia, until her death on May 19, 2026, at age 79.

Brother: Charles "Pride" Morris

Morris's brother, Charles "Pride" Morris, was a guitarist and songwriter in the Richmond-based soul-funk band Poison. The group's lone LP, On Our Way to Number 1 (Roulette Records, 1976), blended ensemble funk rhythms, heavy percussion breaks, and group vocals.

Charles co-wrote eight of the album's eleven tracks with bandmate Marshall "Frazell" Smith, including "Our Place in Time", "Magic Words" (with Richard E. Gillyard), "Cosmic Dancing", "Unity Man", "You Can't Run Away From Yourself", "Let Your Fingers Do the Walking", "Music Is Our Destiny", and "Get Up and Move Your Body" (featuring a Tom Moulton mix). Charles later wrote "It's You" on the 1983 electronic soul album Pure Satisfaction by Darnell Williams (My Disc Records).

The All Platinum and Stang era

The Moments

In 1969, at age 21, Morris moved to New York to become musical director for The Moments, signed to Stang Records, a subsidiary of All Platinum Records founded by Sylvia and Joe Robinson in Englewood, New Jersey. As musical director, Morris organized the group's live performances and co-wrote and produced their studio recordings alongside vocalists Al Goodman and Harry Ray, including:

• "Look At Me (I'm In Love)" (1975) — Billboard R&B #1, Pop #39
• "Girls" (1974), with The Whatnauts — R&B #3, Pop #17, UK #3
• Additional tracks on the 1975 LP Look At Me: "Got To Get To Know You", "I Feel So Good Again", "I've Got The Need", and "What's Your Name"

The Rimshots and Shirley & Company

Morris founded and led The Rimshots, the All Platinum house rhythm section, built around Richmond-area musicians including bassist Jonathan Williams, drummer Clarence "Foot" Oliver, keyboardist Bernadette Randle, rhythm guitarist Tommy Keith, and organist Mozart Pierre-Louis.

Between 1972 and 1976, the group backed artists on Chess, Stang, Vibration, and Turbo Records. In 1971 they recorded the original theme for Soul Train, included on their 1972 debut LP of the same name.

The Rimshots' cover of "7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle)" peaked at #26 on the UK Singles Chart in 1975. Morris's composition "Do What You Feel (Part 1)" charted at #93 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1975, Morris and his Rimshots bandmates formed the studio group Shirley & Company with Shirley Goodman and Jesus "Jason" Alvarez. Morris played guitar on "Shame, Shame, Shame" (1975), which topped the US Dance chart for four weeks, reached #1 R&B, #12 Pop, and #1 in West Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands, selling over two million copies.

Major collaborations

• Etta James — Etta Is Betta Than Evvah! (1976, Chess Records), produced by Mike Terry, with The Rimshots as rhythm section; Morris played on "A Love Vibration", "Little Bit Of Love", "Groove Me", "Jump Into Love", "I've Been A Fool", and "Blinded By Love"
• Solomon Burke — Back To My Roots (1976); Morris was guitarist, composer, and assistant arranger alongside Sammy Lowe, co-writing "Over And Over (Hugging And Loving)"
• Jack McDuff — Sophisticated Funk (1976); rhythm guitar on "Dit Da Dit"
• Hank Ballard — Hanging With Hank (1976, Stang Records); Morris co-wrote "Let's Go Skinny Dipping" and "Love On Love"
• The Dells — No Way Back (1976), with The Rimshots as backing band

Rebranding as "Lee Walter": Polydor success

In 1979, following disputes with All Platinum and Stang, the vocalists of The Moments left the label, which retained rights to the group name. Rebranding as Ray, Goodman & Brown, the trio signed with Polydor Records. Morris remained their primary collaborator, writing under the pseudonym "Lee Walter."

The lead single from their self-titled 1979 debut, "Special Lady," reached #1 R&B and #5 Pop, going RIAA Gold in May 1980; the album was also certified Gold. Morris also co-wrote "Inside of You" (Pop #76), "Slipped Away", "Thrill / Friends", and "Another Day," and continued writing for the group on Ray, Goodman & Brown II (1980), Stay (1981), All About Love (1984), and Take It To The Limit (1986).

Television and live performances

• Top of the Pops (UK) — The Rimshots appeared twice in 1975 following the success of "7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle)"
• Toppop (Netherlands) — Shirley & Company performed "Shame, Shame, Shame" in 1975
• Imus Club, New York — On July 30, 1977, Billboard reviewed a performance by The Moments and The Rimshots, calling the latter "one of the better soul instrumental combos" of the era

Death

Walter Lee Morris died at his home in New York on March 24, 2011, at age 62. His funeral was held April 1, 2011, at March Funeral Home's Laburnum Chapel in Richmond, Virginia; he was buried at Roselawn Memory Gardens in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Musical legacy and sampling

Jay-Z and "chipmunk soul"

In 2000, producer Bink! sampled The Moments' "What's Your Name" (co-written by Morris) for Jay-Z's "You, Me, Him, and Her" on The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. Speeding the vinyl track to 45rpm on an MPC 3000 created a pitched-up sound later termed "chipmunk soul," popularized by Kanye West and Just Blaze.

The Roots

On The Tipping Point (2004), The Roots built "Web" around a sample of The Rimshots' "Dance Girl."

The Alchemist and Freddie Gibbs

On Alfredo (2020), The Alchemist built "Look At Me" around a pitch-shifted sample of "Look At Me (I'm In Love)."

Drake's "Jimmy Cooks"

Drake's 2022 #1 hit "Jimmy Cooks" (feat. 21 Savage), produced by Vinylz and Tay Keith, samples Brook Benton's "You Were Gone" (1976), co-written and arranged by Morris.

Additional samples

• Ghostface Killah sampled "Special Lady" for "Jellyfish" (Fishscale, 2006)
• Danny Brown sampled "What's Your Name" for "Dope Fiend Rental" (Old, 2013)
• Common sampled "The Next Time I See You" for "Next Time" (Just Wright soundtrack, 2010)
• Pete Rock sampled "Do What You Feel" for "Accelerate" (PeteStrumentals 2, 2015)

Selected discography

Selected songwriting and production credits

Song	Original artist	Year	Co-writers	Chart peaks	Notes
"Look At Me (I'm In Love)"	The Moments	1975	Al Goodman, Harry Ray	R&B #1, Pop #39	Co-produced by Morris
"Girls"	The Moments & The Whatnauts	1974	Al Goodman, Harry Ray, Sylvia Robinson	R&B #3, Pop #17, UK #3
"What's Your Name"	The Moments	1974	Al Goodman, Harry Ray	R&B #25, Pop #108	Sampled by Jay-Z & Danny Brown
"Do What You Feel (Part 1)"	The Rimshots	1975	Al Goodman, Harry Ray	Pop #93	Stang Records
"You Were Gone"	Brook Benton	1976	Al Goodman, Harry Ray	—	Sampled by Drake, "Jimmy Cooks"
"Over And Over"	Solomon Burke	1976	Al Goodman, Harry Ray	—	Back To My Roots
"Special Lady"	Ray, Goodman & Brown	1980	Al Goodman, Harry Ray	R&B #1, Pop #5	As Lee Walter; RIAA Gold
"Inside of You"	Ray, Goodman & Brown	1979	Al Goodman, Harry Ray	Pop #76	As Lee Walter

Selected sampling history

Track	Artist	Year	Sampled song	Producer
"You, Me, Him, and Her"	Jay-Z	2000	"What's Your Name"	Bink!
"Web"	The Roots	2004	"Dance Girl"	Questlove
"Jellyfish"	Ghostface Killah	2006	"Special Lady"	MF DOOM
"Next Time"	Common	2010	"The Next Time I See You"	—
"Dope Fiend Rental"	Danny Brown	2013	"What's Your Name"	SKYWLKR
"Accelerate"	Pete Rock	2015	"Do What You Feel"	Pete Rock
"Look At Me"	Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist	2020	"Look At Me (I'm In Love)"	The Alchemist
"Jimmy Cooks"	Drake feat. 21 Savage	2022	"You Were Gone"	Vinylz, Tay Keith

Sources

• "The Rimshots". Wikipedia. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "Ray, Goodman & Brown". Wikipedia. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "Ray, Goodman & Brown (album)". Wikipedia. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "Special Lady". Wikipedia. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "Shirley & Company". Wikipedia. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• Huey, Steve. "The Rimshots | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "The Rimshots". Apple Music. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "The Rimshots Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "On This Day in 1980: Ray, Goodman & Brown scale to the top with "Special Lady"". SoulTracks. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "Shame Shame Shame by Shirley & Company". Songfacts. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "Jay-Z feat. Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel and Amil's "You, Me, Him and Her" sample of The Moments's "What's Your Name"". WhoSampled. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist's "Look at Me" sample of The Moments's "Look at Me (I'm in Love)"". WhoSampled. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "Drake feat. 21 Savage's "Jimmy Cooks" sample of Brook Benton's "You Were Gone"". WhoSampled. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• Oliver, Clarence (December 28, 2009). "Sugar Hill's Clarence Alonzo Oliver". Modern Drummer. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
• "Walter Lee Morris Obituary". March Funeral Homes. Retrieved July 11, 2026.

Category:1948 births Category:2011 deaths Category:American funk guitarists Category:American soul guitarists Category:American record producers Category:Musicians from Richmond, Virginia Category:People from Hanover County, Virginia