From Joy Division to New Order and beyond, Stephen Morris has been behind some of the most recognizable drumbeats in pop. Morris attended the same Macclesfield school as Ian Curtis, and joined Joy Division as their drummer in their early days, whilst they were still known as Warsaw. The two studio albums the band released - Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980) - are some of the most influential and critically acclaimed of the post-punk era, and Morris's pioneering use of electronic percussion was an instrumental part of the band's unmistakable sound. After Ian Curtis's tragic suicide, the remaining trio - Morris, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook - re-formed as New Order, with Sumner reluctantly taking over as vocalist and the addition of Morris's future wife Gillian Gilbert on keyboards and guitars. New Order's club-ready brand of synth pop, epitomised on their second album Power, Corruption & Lies (1983), was a clear departure from the moody atmospherics of Joy Division and brought the band an even greater level of fame. Songs like 'Blue Monday', the best-selling 12-inch single of all time, are driven by Morris's distinctive combination of live and programmed drums. Morris has been a consistent fixture in New Order's line-up from the 1980s until the present day. The band's long career has included multiple world tours and headlining appearances at festivals, as well as a performance at the closing concert for the 2012 Olympics.

Outside of New Order, Morris has released albums and television soundtracks with Gilbert under the name The Other Two, and has contributed in the studio and on tour to Bernard Sumner's project Bad Lieutenant. He is also well known for owning a collection of tanks, which he drives near his home.