"But everyone left that auditorium and they felt as though they were touched and they were blessed.
"And they were proud not only to be Maori but to be Kiwi.
"Dad always celebrated that.
"When watching him and seeing the actual reaction from these people in the crowd, I always wanted to do that.
"But as I got a bit older I found out that according to my father, the stage, the world was only big enough for one Howard Morrison on the stage."
With the singing left to his dad, Howie immersed himself in the world of kapa haka.
Over the past five decades, he has performed at 19 national and 14 regional competitions.
He also joined his aunty in tutoring Ngāti Rangiwewehi.
"I started that way back in the early 70s," he says.
"That was my grounding, and because of my cultural background I got to travel the world four/five times over.
"It's not until you're overseas that you realise how special you are because people want to know you because you're an indigenous native from New Zealand.
Howie attributes much of his showmanship to his father but he has his own unique stage presence, performing 14 sell-out shows with his band in 2021.
He says when his father passed away in 2009, he gave him one year's grace before taking to the stage.
The stage was his and he wouldn't share it with anybody, he said.
"Then I formed the trio which comprised of myself, Chris Powley and Russell Harrison.
"Then we dispersed and they started working overseas. Then we formed the quartet - myself, Chris, Russell, and another guy, Jack Grace.
"We rehearsed for about two months and we all knew the talent was there and the sound was there - it was just about all of us getting our egos through the same door.
"We worked it all out and we worked to everyone's strengths.
"The comedy part was hard for me because I'm not a very funny person.
"But what an overwhelming experience that was.
"I used to come out and say 'Ladies and gentlemen, it's like the same crowd here tonight when my dad was here - a sea of grey hair and glasses'."
Howie recently released a song he wrote with a very personal message.
"If I Could Change My Life - it's about living in the shadows of a famous person, but now that you're gone, it's my turn.
"This is my life, not yours anymore," he said.
But some things don't change.
Sir Howard Morrison nurtured many famous singers and artists - now Howie is doing the same.
Local teenager Te Pumanawa o Toku Ate Rogers has been with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra for five years.
More recently she performed at the Howard Morrison Quartet show as part of the Aronui Arts Festival.
She says it was nerve-wracking but gave a sense of self-belief.
"You see everyone when you're singing and you see that they enjoy it. It makes you happy to know that you're doing something that people like.
Performing isn't Howie's only creative outlet.
He is also revisiting a former project with paintbrush-in-hand at Pikirangi Marae in Rotorua.
"Forty years on, I find myself doing the same thing," he says.
"I love this sort of mahi.
"It's very humbling and very satisfying that I've had the opportunity to bring our marae back to life.
"We're all going to use it at one point in our lives - whether it's a birthday or your own funeral - so it's very gratifying, especially this particular marae.
Wai Morrison, Howie's wife, has spent more than a decade supporting his career.
"I've watched him grow as an entertainer," she says.
"You can see or hear when you talk to him that his father's legacy is something very important to him.
"I think for him it's about continuing that legacy for him, his mokopuna, and all of the whānau."
The Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre in Rotorua is due to open in September this year.
