 Morris Pert was born into a musical family and raised in Arbroath, Scotland where he played variously in percussion, folk (Triad) and rock bands (Vegas) and began to compose.He gained a Trinity College London diploma in piano performance in 1967 and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1969.He then studied in London on a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music with Alan Bush(who considered Pert one of his best pupils) and James Blades.