AADL Talks To: Scott Morgan, Singer and Musician

Tue, 07/01/2025 - 3:48pm

Scott Morgan is the former frontman and founding member of The Rationals, a popular Ann Arbor-based rock band that saw success in the mid-1960s and early 1970s with "Guitar Army," "I Need You," and their cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect." The Rationals played regional and national venues with groups like The Yardbirds, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix. After the group disbanded in the early 1970s, Scott founded and performed with other bands, including Guardian Angel, Scots Pirates, Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, the Hydromatics, and The Hellacopters. Scott talks with us about growing up in Ann Arbor during the 1960s and the region’s heady music scene during this period; his friendships and collaborations with area musicians such as Iggy Pop, Scott Asheton, Bob Seger, and Fred “Sonic” Smith. He also recalls some favorite Ann Arbor venues and how the local music scene has changed.
 

The Scott Morgan Collection comprises photographs, documents (including posters, postcards, and flyers) from the past 60 years, music from Scott's record collection, and a scrapbook from a fan of The Rationals. We also have news clippings and The Rationals: "Ann Arbor's Beatles," a 1991 interview with Scott Morgan and Bill Figg, by Frank Uhle.