Gareth Morris was born in Clevedon, Somerset, England and was educated at Bristol Cathedral Choir School.
At 18 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where his main teacher was Charles Stainer.
During the Second World War he joined the Royal Air Force and was principal flute in the RAF Symphony Orchestra.
The press release at the time spoke of "irreconcilable artistic differences" which had contributed to his resignation.
[1][2] Morris's flute was originally a Rudall-Carte with open G-sharp and vented D, and later in his career he performed on an instrument bequeathed to him by Robert Murchie.
His style was of the English school, with a tight embouchure and he produced a very solid and powerful tone which was also capable of incredible delicacy.
His siblings are Christopher, a music publisher at the Oxford University Press, and Jan Morris, the travel writer.