Brian Morton was born in Paisley and grew up in New Orleans-on-Clyde, aka Dunoon, where he acquired a lifelong passion for jazz. He taught at university before spending ten years working on The Times and its supplements; he then became a freelance writer and broadcaster, and has had an illustrious career as an arts and music commentator on BBC Radio Scotland and on BBC Radio 3. His publications include The Penguin Guide To Jazz which he co-authors with Richard Cook.