Jane_Morgan

Jane Morgan

Jane Morgan

American singer (born 1924)

Jane Morgan (born Florence Catherine Currier; May 3, 1924) is an American former singer and recording artist of traditional pop. Morgan initially found success in France and the UK before achieving recognition in the US, receiving six gold records. She was a frequent nightclub and Broadway performer, and also appeared numerous times on American television, both as a singer and as a dramatic performer.

For the actress, see Jane Morgan (actress). For the Irish painter and sculptor, see Jane Morgan (artist).
Quick Facts Born, Education ...

Early life

Morgan was born Florence Catherine Currier in Newton, Massachusetts, on May 3, 1924,[1] one of five children born to musicians Olga (Brandenburg) and Bertram Currier.[2] At five she began vocal lessons while continuing piano lessons. During the summers, she took on child roles and appeared in theater productions at the Kennebunkport Playhouse in Kennebunkport, Maine, which her brother had founded.[3] In 1941, she was listed as the Treasurer of the Kennebunkport Playhouse.[4] After graduating from Seabreeze High School, she was accepted into New York's Juilliard School of Music.[5] Intending to become an opera singer, she studied opera by day and performed whenever possible.[6]

Early career

Morgan sang popular songs in nightclubs and small restaurants, and at bar mitzvahs and other private parties, to help pay her tuition expenses at Juilliard.[7] Orchestra leader Art Mooney changed her name to Jane Morgan by taking the first name of one of his vocalists, Janie Ford, and the last name of another, Marian Morgan.[3]

In 1948, French impresario Bernard Hilda selected her to accompany him to Paris.[7] Morgan became a sensation in Paris.[8] Many French songwriters, including Charles Trenet, frequented the club, and they wrote several songs that became hit recordings for Morgan. Morgan and Hilda soon opened a new weekly hour-long television show and she began recording in 1949 on the French Polydor label as well as Parlophone, Philips, and others.[8]

She returned to Europe in 1954 to appear in a London West End review with comedian Vic Oliver, and later at the Savoy Theatre and London Palladium.[7][9]

American success

Morgan left her agent and began singing at Lou Walters' Latin Quarter in New York. Walters kept Morgan at the Latin Quarter for a year, when she was noticed by Dave Kapp, who had recently founded a new recording label, Kapp Records.[5] Kapp signed Morgan to a recording contract, and near that same period he signed pianist Roger Williams.[8]

To counter her reputation as a French singer, Kapp had Morgan record "Baseball, Baseball", and her first album release was titled The American Girl from Paris. She recorded several additional albums and soon was paired with Williams, who had gained national acceptance with his recording of "Autumn Leaves". They recorded "Two Different Worlds", which gave Morgan her first significant airplay on US radio.[5] In 1957 Kapp brought The Troubadors, a virtually unknown group of five musicians, to his studio. They had appeared in Love in the Afternoon. Kapp asked Morgan to join The Troubadors and sing "Fascination".[5] Although written in 1904 by F. D. Marchetti as "Valse Tzigane", the song was modified in Paris at the Folies Bergère as a "strip" number. With English lyrics added by Dick Manning in 1932, it had been played throughout the 1957 movie (the French lyric had been created in 1942).[5] Her recording was released in late 1957 and remained on the charts for 29 weeks.[10]

In 1958, Kapp released "The Day the Rains Came" (a French song by Gilbert Becaud called "Le jour où la pluie viendra") with Morgan singing in English on one side and in French on the other.[5] It reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in early 1959.[11] She was featured on the 10 November 1959, jazz special, Timex-All-Star Jazz III.[12]

Middle years

Morgan performed in musicals on the stage and Broadway. She appeared in Can-Can, The King and I,[13] Kiss Me, Kate, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,[14] Bells Are Ringing,[15] Anniversary Waltz, Affairs of State, Hello, Dolly[16] and others.[17]

Morgan's agent died in 1959, and her new manager, Jerry Weintraub, was able to obtain bookings for her in many noted US venues. Morgan divorced Larry Stith in 1964,[18] and married Weintraub, more than a decade her junior, in 1965; the couple later adopted three daughters, Julie, Jamie and Jody. Morgan also has a stepson Michael from Weintraub's first marriage.[5] Morgan and Weintraub separated but never divorced; he died in 2015.

In 1960, she recorded the English-language version of an Italian song, Romantica.[5]

Later years

After Morgan performed on Broadway, she said, "Being on Broadway was one of the most exciting things in my life because I had always dreamed of it".[19]

Morgan's two final albums were for RCA Records: her last LP, Jane Morgan in Nashville, yielded two moderate hits on the country and western charts, including her answer to Johnny Cash's song, "A Boy Named Sue", titled "A Girl Named Johnny Cash" (written by comic Martin Mull). She performed the song on Cash's eponymous television series in early 1971.[20]

The only other time she had recorded without formal arrangements was on her hit single, "Fascination"; nevertheless, she was reportedly dubbed "The Countryest Girl in Nashville" by the crew.[20] She retired from performing in 1973, but has appeared occasionally over the years at special events and benefits. She has in recent years worked as a production assistant to her husband on films including the remake of Ocean's Eleven.[19]

On 10 December 2009, Morgan performed at the UNICEF Ball honoring her husband, Jerry Weintraub, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, singing "Ten Cents a Dance" and "Big Spender".[21] Known as Jane Weintraub, she divides her time between Malibu, California, Palm Springs, California and Kennebunkport, Maine. She has owned Blueberry Hill Farm in Kennebunkport, Maine since 1958.[19]

Morgan's collection of her unique performance gowns spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s were exhibited to the public for the first time, premiering at the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, Maine, in February 2022.[22]

Notable associates

Morgan performed for French President Charles de Gaulle, and for five U.S. Presidents: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush. She toured with Jack Benny and John Raitt, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry; two of her RCA singles hit the Billboard country charts in 1970.[10]

Television appearances

Morgan made her U.S. television debut on Celebrity Time in 1951. Her early television credits include The Victor Borge Show, The Colgate Comedy Hour, Cavalcade of Stars, The Jack Benny Program, The Jimmy Dean Show, The Jonathan Winters Show, The Mike Douglas Show and The Hollywood Palace, as well as more than fifty appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.[23]

Morgan appeared in such television specials as Highways of Melody 1961; The Bell Telephone Hour: A Trip to Christmas (1961); The Bell Telephone Hour: Christmas Program (1965); The Bell Telephone Hour: Masterpieces and Music (1966); Coliseum (1967); Kraft Music Hall: Broadway's Best (1969) and Operation: Entertainment (1969).[citation needed] She starred in three of her own television specials: The Jane Morgan Hour (1959); Voice of Firestone: An Evening in Paris (1959), and The Jane Morgan Show (1968), and made several dramatic television appearances, including The Web: Rehearsal for Death (1952); Peter Gunn: Down the Drain (1961); and It Takes a Thief: The Suzie Simone Caper (1970).[23]

Morgan's version of "If Only I Could Live My Life Again" was featured during the closing credits of the second season finale of Apple TV's The Morning Show which was released November 19, 2021.

On May 6, 2011, Morgan received the 2,439th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[citation needed]

Discography

Singles

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Albums (original vinyl)

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  • This list does not include re-releases.

Albums (CD)

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See also

References

Notes

  1. [1]
    "Jane Morgan". Musician Guide. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  2. [2]
    Siller, Mabel Harriet (1911). The History of Alpha Chi Omega. Homestead Printing Company.
  3. [3]
    Kaplan, Mike (1983). Variety Who's Who in Show Business. Garland Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8240-9096-8.[failed verification]
  4. [4]
    Cummins, Sharon. "History of the Kennebunkport Playhouse: Notes". The Log. Kennebunkport Historical Society. Retrieved March 3, 2017 – via Mykennebunks.com. 1941 Florence Currier is listed as the Treasurer of the Kennebunkport Playhouse
  5. [5]
    Larkin, Colin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Fifties Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-8511-2732-3.
  6. [6]
    Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 94. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  7. [7]
    Kapp Records Liner Notes, 1957–1962
  8. [8]
    Kapp Records Liner Notes, 1956.
  9. [9]
    Epic Records Liner Notes, 1965.
  10. [10]
    Bush, John. "Jane Morgan". AllMusic. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  11. [11]
    Roberts, David (2005). British Hit Singles & Albums (18th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 348. ISBN 978-1-9049-9400-8.
  12. [12]
    "Carmichael, Crosby Head Up Jazz Show". The Victoria Advocate. November 9, 1958. p. 1 TV Tabloid. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Coming Events". The Berkshire Eagle. Vol. 72, no. 65. Pittsfield, Mass. July 20, 1963. p. 5 Berkshire Calendar. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  14. [14]
    Program: Storrowton Music Fair. July 31, 1961. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  15. [15]
    "Under Canvas Musicals To Debut at ECC". Billboard. June 8, 1959. p. 66.
  16. [16]
    "Jane Morgan Will Star in Hello Dolly". Schenectady Gazette. May 25, 1971. p. 12. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  17. [17]
    "Jane Morgan". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  18. [18]
    "Will Seek Divorce". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. July 4, 1964. Retrieved April 18, 2018.[failed verification]
  19. [19]
    Francis D. McKinley interview with Jane Morgan, 22 May 2000.[full citation needed]
  20. [20]
    Jane Morgan, Nashville Liner Notes, 1970
  21. [21]
    "Johnny Mathis Jane Morgan Pictures, Photos & Images – Zimbio". Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  22. [22]
    "Jane Morgan: In My Style". The Brick Store Museum. January 18, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  23. [23]
    Inman, David (2001). Performer's TV Credits, 1948–2000. Vol. 2. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1173-3.

Bibliography

  • Kaplan, Mike. Variety Who's Who in Show Business, Garland Publishing Inc., 1983, ISBN 978-0824087135
  • Kapp Records, liner notes, 1957–1962
  • Epic Records liner notes, 1965–1967
  • RCA Records liner notes, 1969–1970
  • Lax, Roger, and Frederick Smith. The Great Song Thesaurus, Oxford University Press, 1989, ISBN 978-0195054088
  • Maltin, Leonard. Movie and Video Guide 1995, Penguin Books Ltd., 1994 ISBN 9780451183323
  • McAleer, David. The All Music Book of Hit Singles, Miller Freeman Books, 1994, ISBN 9780879303303
  • Murrells, Joseph. Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s, Arco Publishing Inc., 1984, ISBN 9780713438437
  • Osborne, Jerry. Rockin Records, Osborne Publications, 1999, ISBN 9780932117236
  • Francis D. McKinley interview with Jane Morgan on 22 May 2000, and subsequent article
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