In the early 1980s, Rea had already released his debut album and become a regular on TVNZ's That’s Country before he met Morris on the series in 1983 and discovered they shared a love of the same artists. Within 18 months Morris had convinced Rea to try his luck in the US, where he progressed from Morris’s sound-truck driver to his monitor engineer to bandleader.
Four of Jeff Rea’s songs (two written with Gary Morris, one each with Jon McElroy and Dottie Moore) appeared in the 1998 TV movie A Place To Grow, which starred Morris as a singer.
In March 2015, Musical Theatre New Zealand (MTNZ) presented their Merit Award to Jeff Rea for outstanding service to musical theatre, which has included stints as sound technician, musical director, actor and vice-president for the West Otago Theatrical Society.