Born to Jewish parents,[1] Morris grew up in Woodmere, Long Island, in New York state.

Morris played an integral role in making Atlantic the leading company in the Warner Music Group.

In 1994, Morris shifted to the position of president and chief operating officer of Warner Music U.S., and was soon named chairman.

[citation needed] Morris was heavily criticized by music journalists for his approach to streaming services, especially the infamous PressPlay.

[9] In October 2011 Morris announced that Mel Lewinter had been appointed executive vice president of Label Strategy at Sony Music.

Within its first month of launch, VEVO amassed an unprecedented 35 million unique viewers in the U.S., instantly making it the #1 music entertainment destination on the Web, according to comScore.

In 2003, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) awarded Morris with the President's Merit Award, honoring his consistent creative commitment to artistic and entrepreneurial excellence and longstanding support for the music and world communities.

[21] In 2014, Morris was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame with the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award in recognition of being a star maker in the music industry who has been responsible for a substantial number of hit songs.