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Jane Morgan

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.

Jane Morgan
Background information
Birth nameFlorence Catherine Currier
Born (1924-05-03) May 3, 1924 (age 99)
Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • Broadway actress
  • night club/cabaret performer
  • TV personality
Years active1943–2009
Labels
  • Kapp
  • Epic
  • RCA
  • Decca
  • Polydor
  • Parlophone

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] When she was four years old, the Currier family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida.[citation needed] 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] While attending grade school, Morgan actively engaged in singing and competing against other students throughout Florida and the Southeast.[citation needed] 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] Eventually she was hired as a singer at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan with the house second band for $25 a week, six nights a week.[citation needed] While she was still at Juilliard (1944), orchestra leader Art Mooney heard her perform and hired her.[citation needed] 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] Hilda was a prominent French society bandleader who needed a young singer to perform at a nightclub that he planned to open near the Eiffel Tower.[5] Morgan began to appear regularly at the Club des Champs-Elysées, performing (two shows per night) American songs to mostly French audiences. Her mother had taught her French and Italian, so she quickly became proficient in French, and performed her act in flawless French, singing the classic songs of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, French songs, and standards of the century.[citation needed] Morgan became a sensation in Paris;[8] accompanied by Hilda and his gypsy violin, she quickly became known throughout France. French café society frequented Hilda's upscale club, which was likened to the Copacabana in New York.[citation needed] 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]

In 1952 Morgan went to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and opened at the Ritz-Carlton Montreal as a soloist with a bilingual act using French and English.[citation needed] She returned to New York with regular performances in upscale nightclubs and her own radio show on NBC, backed by the 50-piece NBC Symphony Orchestra and also performed at the St. Regis New York.[citation needed] 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 wanted to advance her career in the United States, but booking agents and managers in show business felt she was too specialized and would not make it outside the nightclub circuit.[citation needed] She 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] This led to her first television special, Spectacular: the Jane Morgan Hour in early 1959, the same year she married her first husband, Larry Stith.[citation needed] 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]

She appeared in nightclubs around the U.S., complemented with television appearances and bookings in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. In 1958, Morgan was one of six contestants in A Song for Europe to determine the UK's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1959.[citation needed] She sang "If Only I Could Live My Life Again", but the song was not selected.[citation needed]

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] The recording was an airplay hit on BBC Radio. She continued recording for Kapp until 1962, her last album being What Now My Love, released later that year.[citation needed]

Later years

Morgan ended her association with Kapp Records after eight years. Weintraub negotiated a deal with Colpix for three albums, including Jane Morgan Serenades the Victors. Morgan's second Colpix LP, The Last Time I Saw Paris, garnered excellent reviews, and a hit single, "C'est Si Bon". After fulfilling her contract with Colpix, Morgan recorded numerous singles and four albums for Epic.[citation needed]

During this period, she had consistent hit singles on the Adult Contemporary charts and continued to appear on top TV programs of the day.[citation needed] Morgan appeared at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Canada in 1964; she was also the lead singer, with Bea Lillie and Carol Lawrence, in the Broadway musical production of the Ziegfeld Follies, and succeeded Janis Paige in Mame in 1969.[citation needed] "Being on Broadway was one of the most exciting things in my life because I had always dreamed of it", she said.[19]

In 1966, Morgan recorded the song that she had performed at the Academy Awards, "I Will Wait for You", the English version of a song written for the 1964 film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Michel Legrand.[citation needed] From 1967 to 1968, Morgan was under contract at ABC Records, recording half a dozen singles and issuing an LP, which produced several hits. This led to her second TV special, entitled The Jane Morgan Special.[citation needed] Syndicated in March 1968, it included Morgan singing a tribute to Édith Piaf.[citation needed] 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]

Of the experience, Morgan said she was "thrown a bit" by the fact that Nashville normally dispensed with formal arrangements and was known for "head arrangements".[citation needed] 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; Bell Telephone Hour: A Trip to Christmas (1961); Bell Telephone Hour: Christmas Program (1965); 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), as well as making 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 6 May 2011, Morgan received the 2,439th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[citation needed]

Discography

Singles

Year Title Label and Number US Pop[citation needed] US AC[citation needed] UK Singles Chart[11] Billboard (US)[citation needed]
1946 "Quel est ce rossignol?"/"Hey! Ba-ba re bop" (with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London)
Columbia R 14566 C 655
-
-
-
-
1946 "Cement Mixer (Put-Ti, Put-Ti)" / "Le temps qu'une hirondelle " (with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London)
Columbia R 14567
-
-
-
-
1947 "Gipsy" / "Quisiera Saber" (with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London)
Columbia R 14582
-
-
-
-
1947 "Maria de Bahia" / "Dreaming of You" (with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London)
Columbia R 14583
-
-
-
1948 "Debut d'une aventure" / "Mam'selle" (with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London)
Columbia R 14673
-
-
-
-
1949 "C'est Tout" / "J'aurais Bien Donne Dix Ans De Ma Vie" (with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London)
Decca 9141
-
-
-
-
1950 "Mon blond" / "Les feuilles mortes" (with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London)
Decca RF 17010
-
-
-
-
1950 "La Raspa" / "Comme on est bien dans tes bras" (with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London)
Decca RF 20.837
-
-
-
-
1950 "Woody Woodpecker" / "Nature Boy" (with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London)
Polydor 560109
-
-
-
-
1953 "April in Portugal" / "If I Were a Bell" (with Philip Green Orchestra in London)
Parlophone 3699
-
-
-
-
1953 "Say You're Mine Again" / "Send My Baby Back To Me" (with Philip Green Orchestra in London)
Parlophone 3713
-
-
-
-
1953 "Eyes of Blue" / "The Kissing Tree" (with Philip Green Orchestra in London)
Parlophone 3720
-
-
-
-
1953 "Forgive Me" / "The Donkey Song" (with Philip Green Orchestra in London)
Parlophone 3762
-
-
-
-
1954 "Baseball, Baseball" / "Fairweather Friends"
Kapp 104
-
-
-
-
1954 "Why" / "The Heart You Break"
Kapp 107
-
-
-
-
1955 "I Try To Forget You" / "Why Don't They Leave Us Alone"
Kapp 111
-
-
-
-
1955 "Flyin' High" / "Give Me Your World"
Kapp 115
-
-
-
-
1955 "In Paree" / "Take Me Away"
Kapp 121
-
-
-
-
1956 "Let's Go Steady" / "Take Care" (With the Jones Boys)
Kapp 140
-
-
-
-
1956 "La Ronde" / "Midnight Blues"
Kapp 148
-
-
-
-
1956 "Two Different Worlds" / "Nights in Verona" (with Roger Williams)
Kapp 161
41
-
-
-
1957 "From The First Hello to the Last Goodbye" / "Come Home"
Kapp 172
-
-
-
-
1957 "It's Not For Me to Say" / "Around the World in Eighty Days"
Kapp 185
-
-
-
-
1957 "Fascination" / "Whistling Instrumental" (with The Troubadors)
Kapp 191
7
-
-
-
1957 "It's Been a Long Long Time" / "I'm New at The Game of Romance" (Canadian hit)
Kapp 200
-
-
-
-
1958 "Only One Love" / "I've Got Bells in My Heart"
Kapp 214
-
-
-
-
1958 "Enchanted Island" / "Once More My Love Once More"
Kapp 221
-
-
-
-
1958 "The Day The Rains Came" / "Le Jour Ou La Pluie Viendra" (Sung in French)
Kapp 235
21
-
1
-
1958 "You'll Never Walk Alone" / "I May Never Pass This Way Again"
Kapp 236
-
-
-
-
1958 "To Love And Be Loved" / "If Only I Could Live My Life Again"
Kapp 253
-
-
27
-
1959 "Love Is Like Champagne" / "To Each His Own"
Kapp 264
-
-
-
-
1959 "With Open Arms" / "I Can't Begin To Tell You"
Kapp 284
39/113
-
-
-
1959 "I'm in Love" / "Was It Day, Was It Night"
Kapp 304
-
-
-
-
1959 "Happy Anniversary" / "C'est La Vie C'est L'Amour"
Kapp 305
57
-
-
-
1960 "My Love Doesn't Love Me at All" / "The Bells of St. Mary's"
Kapp 317
-
-
-
-
1960 "The Bells of St. Mary's" / "Ballad of Lady Jane"
Kapp 317
-
-
-
-
1960 "I Am A Heart" / "Romantica"
Kapp 332
-
-
39
-
1960 "Lord And Master" / "Where's The Boy (I Never Met)"
Kapp 351
-
-
-
-
1960 "Somebody" / "The Angry Sea"
Kapp 358
-
-
-
-
1961 "In Jerusalem" / "In Jerusalem" (French version)
Kapp 369
115
-
-
-
1961 "Love Makes The World Go Round" / "He Makes Me Feel I'm Lovely"
Kapp 390
-
-
-
-
1961 "Homesick For New England" / "It Takes Love"
Kapp 418
-
-
-
-
1961 "Blue Hawaii" / "Moon River"
Kapp 431
-
-
-
-
1962 "Forever My Love" / "What Now My Love"
Kapp 450
-
-
-
-
1962 "Ask Me To Dance" / "Waiting For Charley To Come Home"
Kapp 478
-
-
-
-
1963 "Bless 'Em All" / "Does Goodnight Mean Goodbye?"
Colpix 713
131
-
-
-
1964 "The Last Time I Saw Paris"
Colpix 469
-
-
-
-
1964 "From Russia with Love" / "Song from Moulin' Rouge"
Colpix 727
-
-
-
-
1964 "C'est si bon" / "Once Upon a Summertime"
Colpix 734
-
-
-
-
1964 "Dominique" / "Funny World"
Colpix 754
-
-
-
-
1964 "Poor People of Paris" / "Funny World"
Colpix 755
-
-
-
-
1965 "After the Fall" / "Oh How I Lie"
Colpix 761
-
-
-
-
1965 "Maybe" / "Walking the Streets in the Rain"
Epic 9819
-
-
-
-
1965 "Side by Side" / "Till I Waltz Again with You"
Epic 9847
-
25
-
-
1965 "Little Hands" / "Everyone Come to My Party"
Epic 9881
-
-
-
-
1966 "I Will Wait for You" / "Love Me True"
Epic 10012
-
-
-
-
1966 "1-2-3" / "Kiss Away"
Epic 10032
135
16
-
-
1966 "Elusive Butterfly" / "Good Lovin'"
Epic 10058
-
9
-
-
1966 "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" / "Now and Forever"
Epic 10113
121
30
-
-
1967 "The Three Bells" / "I Want to Be With You"
Epic 10159
-
-
-
-
1967 "Somebody Someplace" / "This is My World Without You"
ABC 10969
-
24
-
-
1967 "I Promise You" / "Him's a Dope"
ABC 11002
-
27
-
-
1967 "The Marvelous Toy" / "Smile"
ABC 11024
-
-
-
-
1968 "Masquerade" / "Smile"
ABC 11034
-
-
-
-
1968 "A Child" / "My Funny Valentine"
ABC 11054
-
39
-
-
1968 "Look What You've Done to Me" / "There's Nothing Else in My Mind"
ABC 11092
-
-
-
-
1969 "Marry Me! Marry Me!" / "Three Rest Stops"
RCA 74-0153
-
-
-
-
1969 "Traces" / "Where Do I Go?"
RCA 74-0194
-
-
-
-
1969 "Congratulations, I Guess" / "All of My Laughter"
RCA 47-9727
-
-
-
-
1970 "A Girl Named Johnny Cash" / "Charley" (US Country hit)
RCA 47-9839
-
-
-
61
1970 "The First Day" / "I'm Only a Woman" (US Country hit)
RCA 47-9901
-
-
-
70
1970 "He Gives Me Love" / "He's Never Too Busy"
RCA 74-0316
-
-
-
-
1971 "Jamie Boy" / "Things of Life"
RCA 74-0395
-
-
-
-

Albums (original vinyl)

# Year Album Title Label and Album Number
1 1956 The American Girl from Paris
KAPP 1023
2 1957 Fascination
KAPP 1066
3 1958 All the Way
KAPP 1080
4 1958 Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
KAPP 1089
5 1958 Jane Morgan (repackage of The American Girl from Paris)
KAPP 1093
6 1958 The Day the Rains Came
KAPP 1105
7 1958 Chante Pour Ses Amis Canadiens
KAPP 801
8 1959 Jane in Spain
KAPP 1129
9 1959 Great Songs from Great Shows of the Century
KAPP 5006
10 1959 Broadway in Stereo
KAPP 3001
11 1960 Jane Morgan Time (Compilation of singles)
KAPP 1170
12 1960 The Ballads of Lady Jane
KAPP 1191
13 1961 The Second Time Around
KAPP 1239
14 1961 Great Golden Hits (Compilation)
KAPP 1246
15 1961 Big Hits from Broadway
KAPP 1247
16 1961 Love Makes the World Go 'Round
KAPP 1250
17 1962 At the Cocoanut Grove
KAPP 1268
18 1962 More Golden Hits (Compilation)
KAPP 1275
19 1962 What Now My Love?
KAPP 1296
20 1963 Greatest Hits (Compilation)
KAPP 1329
21 1963 Serenades the Victors
COLPIX 460
22 1964 More Greatest Hits (Compilation)
KAPP 1372
23 1964 The Last Time I Saw Paris
COLPIX 469
24 1965 In My Style
EPIC 24166
25 1965 Jane Morgan in Gold – Today’s Hits…Tomorrow’s Golden Favorites
EPIC 24190
26 1966 Jane Morgan Album
COLPIX 497
27 1966 Fresh Flavor
EPIC 24211
28 1967 Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
EPIC 24247
29 1968 A Jane Morgan Happening
ABC 638
30 1969 Marry Me! Marry Me!
RCA 1160
31 1969 Traces of Love
RCA 4171
32 1970 In Nashville
RCA 4322
  • This list does not include re-releases.

Albums (CD)

Year Album Title Label and Album Number
1990 Jane Morgan – Greatest Hits
Curb Special Markets B000000CYA
1998 Fascination: The Jane Morgan Collection
Varèse Sarabande B00000151D
2000 In My Style/Fresh Flavor
Collectables B0000523PI
2001 Fascination
Polygram Int'l B00005HPV7
2007 An American Songbird in Paris
Sepia Recordings B000ULQVAM
2008 Jane Morgan Sings Showstoppers
Sepia Recordings B001E1BOAE
2008 The American Girl From Paris Jane Morgan
Time Records, Spain B0025LX6X0
2009 Fascination: The Ultimate Collection
Jasmine Music B001NH4CAS
2009 Jane Morgan Sings Popular Favorites
Sepia Recordings B001QEIHWM

See also

References

Notes

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

External links

  • Jane Morgan at IMDb
  • Profile @ oldies.com (with wrong year of birth)
  • UNICEF Ball honoring Jerry Weintraub
  • Huffington Post: Weintraub Salute

jane, morgan, actress, actress, irish, painter, sculptor, artist, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, persons, that, unsourced, poorly, sour. For the actress see Jane Morgan actress For the Irish painter and sculptor see Jane Morgan artist This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Jane Morgan news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message 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 Jane MorganBackground informationBirth nameFlorence Catherine CurrierBorn 1924 05 03 May 3 1924 age 99 Newton Massachusetts U S Occupation s SingerBroadway actressnight club cabaret performerTV personalityYears active1943 2009LabelsKappEpicRCADeccaPolydorParlophone Contents 1 Early life 2 Early career 3 American success 4 Middle years 5 Later years 6 Notable associates 7 Television appearances 8 Discography 8 1 Singles 8 2 Albums original vinyl 8 3 Albums CD 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksEarly life EditMorgan 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 When she was four years old the Currier family moved to Daytona Beach Florida citation needed 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 While attending grade school Morgan actively engaged in singing and competing against other students throughout Florida and the Southeast citation needed 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 EditMorgan 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 Eventually she was hired as a singer at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan with the house second band for 25 a week six nights a week citation needed While she was still at Juilliard 1944 orchestra leader Art Mooney heard her perform and hired her citation needed 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 Hilda was a prominent French society bandleader who needed a young singer to perform at a nightclub that he planned to open near the Eiffel Tower 5 Morgan began to appear regularly at the Club des Champs Elysees performing two shows per night American songs to mostly French audiences Her mother had taught her French and Italian so she quickly became proficient in French and performed her act in flawless French singing the classic songs of Cole Porter George Gershwin French songs and standards of the century citation needed Morgan became a sensation in Paris 8 accompanied by Hilda and his gypsy violin she quickly became known throughout France French cafe society frequented Hilda s upscale club which was likened to the Copacabana in New York citation needed 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 In 1952 Morgan went to Montreal Quebec Canada and opened at the Ritz Carlton Montreal as a soloist with a bilingual act using French and English citation needed She returned to New York with regular performances in upscale nightclubs and her own radio show on NBC backed by the 50 piece NBC Symphony Orchestra and also performed at the St Regis New York citation needed 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 EditMorgan wanted to advance her career in the United States but booking agents and managers in show business felt she was too specialized and would not make it outside the nightclub circuit citation needed She 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 Bergere 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 ou 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 This led to her first television special Spectacular the Jane Morgan Hour in early 1959 the same year she married her first husband Larry Stith citation needed She was featured on the 10 November 1959 jazz special Timex All Star Jazz III 12 Middle years EditMorgan 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 She appeared in nightclubs around the U S complemented with television appearances and bookings in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe In 1958 Morgan was one of six contestants in A Song for Europe to determine the UK s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 citation needed She sang If Only I Could Live My Life Again but the song was not selected citation needed 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 The recording was an airplay hit on BBC Radio She continued recording for Kapp until 1962 her last album being What Now My Love released later that year citation needed Later years EditMorgan ended her association with Kapp Records after eight years Weintraub negotiated a deal with Colpix for three albums including Jane Morgan Serenades the Victors Morgan s second Colpix LP The Last Time I Saw Paris garnered excellent reviews and a hit single C est Si Bon After fulfilling her contract with Colpix Morgan recorded numerous singles and four albums for Epic citation needed During this period she had consistent hit singles on the Adult Contemporary charts and continued to appear on top TV programs of the day citation needed Morgan appeared at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Canada in 1964 she was also the lead singer with Bea Lillie and Carol Lawrence in the Broadway musical production of the Ziegfeld Follies and succeeded Janis Paige in Mame in 1969 citation needed Being on Broadway was one of the most exciting things in my life because I had always dreamed of it she said 19 In 1966 Morgan recorded the song that she had performed at the Academy Awards I Will Wait for You the English version of a song written for the 1964 film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Michel Legrand citation needed From 1967 to 1968 Morgan was under contract at ABC Records recording half a dozen singles and issuing an LP which produced several hits This led to her second TV special entitled The Jane Morgan Special citation needed Syndicated in March 1968 it included Morgan singing a tribute to Edith Piaf citation needed 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 Of the experience Morgan said she was thrown a bit by the fact that Nashville normally dispensed with formal arrangements and was known for head arrangements citation needed 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 EditMorgan 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 EditMorgan 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 Bell Telephone Hour A Trip to Christmas 1961 Bell Telephone Hour Christmas Program 1965 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 as well as making 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 6 May 2011 Morgan received the 2 439th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame citation needed Discography EditThis biography of a living person relies on a single source You can help by adding reliable sources to this article Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately June 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Singles Edit Year Title Label and Number US Pop citation needed US AC citation needed UK Singles Chart 11 Billboard US citation needed 1946 Quel est ce rossignol Hey Ba ba re bop with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London Columbia R 14566 C 655 1946 Cement Mixer Put Ti Put Ti Le temps qu une hirondelle with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London Columbia R 14567 1947 Gipsy Quisiera Saber with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London Columbia R 14582 1947 Maria de Bahia Dreaming of You with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London Columbia R 14583 1948 Debut d une aventure Mam selle with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London Columbia R 14673 1949 C est Tout J aurais Bien Donne Dix Ans De Ma Vie with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London Decca 9141 1950 Mon blond Les feuilles mortes with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London Decca RF 17010 1950 La Raspa Comme on est bien dans tes bras with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London Decca RF 20 837 1950 Woody Woodpecker Nature Boy with Bernard Hilda Orchestra in London Polydor 560109 1953 April in Portugal If I Were a Bell with Philip Green Orchestra in London Parlophone 3699 1953 Say You re Mine Again Send My Baby Back To Me with Philip Green Orchestra in London Parlophone 3713 1953 Eyes of Blue The Kissing Tree with Philip Green Orchestra in London Parlophone 3720 1953 Forgive Me The Donkey Song with Philip Green Orchestra in London Parlophone 3762 1954 Baseball Baseball Fairweather Friends Kapp 104 1954 Why The Heart You Break Kapp 107 1955 I Try To Forget You Why Don t They Leave Us Alone Kapp 111 1955 Flyin High Give Me Your World Kapp 115 1955 In Paree Take Me Away Kapp 121 1956 Let s Go Steady Take Care With the Jones Boys Kapp 140 1956 La Ronde Midnight Blues Kapp 148 1956 Two Different Worlds Nights in Verona with Roger Williams Kapp 161 41 1957 From The First Hello to the Last Goodbye Come Home Kapp 172 1957 It s Not For Me to Say Around the World in Eighty Days Kapp 185 1957 Fascination Whistling Instrumental with The Troubadors Kapp 191 7 1957 It s Been a Long Long Time I m New at The Game of Romance Canadian hit Kapp 200 1958 Only One Love I ve Got Bells in My Heart Kapp 214 1958 Enchanted Island Once More My Love Once More Kapp 221 1958 The Day The Rains Came Le Jour Ou La Pluie Viendra Sung in French Kapp 235 21 1 1958 You ll Never Walk Alone I May Never Pass This Way Again Kapp 236 1958 To Love And Be Loved If Only I Could Live My Life Again Kapp 253 27 1959 Love Is Like Champagne To Each His Own Kapp 264 1959 With Open Arms I Can t Begin To Tell You Kapp 284 39 113 1959 I m in Love Was It Day Was It Night Kapp 304 1959 Happy Anniversary C est La Vie C est L Amour Kapp 305 57 1960 My Love Doesn t Love Me at All The Bells of St Mary s Kapp 317 1960 The Bells of St Mary s Ballad of Lady Jane Kapp 317 1960 I Am A Heart Romantica Kapp 332 39 1960 Lord And Master Where s The Boy I Never Met Kapp 351 1960 Somebody The Angry Sea Kapp 358 1961 In Jerusalem In Jerusalem French version Kapp 369 115 1961 Love Makes The World Go Round He Makes Me Feel I m Lovely Kapp 390 1961 Homesick For New England It Takes Love Kapp 418 1961 Blue Hawaii Moon River Kapp 431 1962 Forever My Love What Now My Love Kapp 450 1962 Ask Me To Dance Waiting For Charley To Come Home Kapp 478 1963 Bless Em All Does Goodnight Mean Goodbye Colpix 713 131 1964 The Last Time I Saw Paris Colpix 469 1964 From Russia with Love Song from Moulin Rouge Colpix 727 1964 C est si bon Once Upon a Summertime Colpix 734 1964 Dominique Funny World Colpix 754 1964 Poor People of Paris Funny World Colpix 755 1965 After the Fall Oh How I Lie Colpix 761 1965 Maybe Walking the Streets in the Rain Epic 9819 1965 Side by Side Till I Waltz Again with You Epic 9847 25 1965 Little Hands Everyone Come to My Party Epic 9881 1966 I Will Wait for You Love Me True Epic 10012 1966 1 2 3 Kiss Away Epic 10032 135 16 1966 Elusive Butterfly Good Lovin Epic 10058 9 1966 Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye Now and Forever Epic 10113 121 30 1967 The Three Bells I Want to Be With You Epic 10159 1967 Somebody Someplace This is My World Without You ABC 10969 24 1967 I Promise You Him s a Dope ABC 11002 27 1967 The Marvelous Toy Smile ABC 11024 1968 Masquerade Smile ABC 11034 1968 A Child My Funny Valentine ABC 11054 39 1968 Look What You ve Done to Me There s Nothing Else in My Mind ABC 11092 1969 Marry Me Marry Me Three Rest Stops RCA 74 0153 1969 Traces Where Do I Go RCA 74 0194 1969 Congratulations I Guess All of My Laughter RCA 47 9727 1970 A Girl Named Johnny Cash Charley US Country hit RCA 47 9839 611970 The First Day I m Only a Woman US Country hit RCA 47 9901 701970 He Gives Me Love He s Never Too Busy RCA 74 0316 1971 Jamie Boy Things of Life RCA 74 0395 Albums original vinyl Edit Year Album Title Label and Album Number1 1956 The American Girl from Paris KAPP 10232 1957 Fascination KAPP 10663 1958 All the Way KAPP 10804 1958 Something Old Something New Something Borrowed Something Blue KAPP 10895 1958 Jane Morgan repackage of The American Girl from Paris KAPP 10936 1958 The Day the Rains Came KAPP 11057 1958 Chante Pour Ses Amis Canadiens KAPP 8018 1959 Jane in Spain KAPP 11299 1959 Great Songs from Great Shows of the Century KAPP 500610 1959 Broadway in Stereo KAPP 300111 1960 Jane Morgan Time Compilation of singles KAPP 117012 1960 The Ballads of Lady Jane KAPP 119113 1961 The Second Time Around KAPP 123914 1961 Great Golden Hits Compilation KAPP 124615 1961 Big Hits from Broadway KAPP 124716 1961 Love Makes the World Go Round KAPP 125017 1962 At the Cocoanut Grove KAPP 126818 1962 More Golden Hits Compilation KAPP 127519 1962 What Now My Love KAPP 129620 1963 Greatest Hits Compilation KAPP 132921 1963 Serenades the Victors COLPIX 46022 1964 More Greatest Hits Compilation KAPP 137223 1964 The Last Time I Saw Paris COLPIX 46924 1965 In My Style EPIC 2416625 1965 Jane Morgan in Gold Today s Hits Tomorrow s Golden Favorites EPIC 2419026 1966 Jane Morgan Album COLPIX 49727 1966 Fresh Flavor EPIC 2421128 1967 Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye EPIC 2424729 1968 A Jane Morgan Happening ABC 63830 1969 Marry Me Marry Me RCA 116031 1969 Traces of Love RCA 417132 1970 In Nashville RCA 4322This list does not include re releases Albums CD Edit Year Album Title Label and Album Number1990 Jane Morgan Greatest Hits Curb Special Markets B000000CYA1998 Fascination The Jane Morgan Collection Varese Sarabande B00000151D2000 In My Style Fresh Flavor Collectables B0000523PI2001 Fascination Polygram Int l B00005HPV72007 An American Songbird in Paris Sepia Recordings B000ULQVAM2008 Jane Morgan Sings Showstoppers Sepia Recordings B001E1BOAE2008 The American Girl From Paris Jane Morgan Time Records Spain B0025LX6X02009 Fascination The Ultimate Collection Jasmine Music B001NH4CAS2009 Jane Morgan Sings Popular Favorites Sepia Recordings B001QEIHWMSee also EditList of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles ChartReferences EditNotes Jane Morgan Musician Guide Retrieved June 7 2023 Siller Mabel Harriet 1911 The History of Alpha Chi Omega Homestead Printing Company a b Kaplan Mike 1983 Variety Who s Who in Show Business Garland Publishing ISBN 978 0 8240 9096 8 failed verification 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 a b c d e f g h i Larkin Colin ed 1993 The Guinness Who s Who of Fifties Music First ed Guinness Publishing p 243 ISBN 978 0 8511 2732 3 Murrells Joseph 1978 The Book of Golden Discs 2nd ed London Barrie and Jenkins Ltd p 94 ISBN 0 214 20512 6 a b c Kapp Records Liner Notes 1957 1962 a b c Kapp Records Liner Notes 1956 Epic Records Liner Notes 1965 a b Bush John Jane Morgan AllMusic Retrieved July 6 2015 a b Roberts David 2005 British Hit Singles amp Albums 18th ed London Guinness World Records p 348 ISBN 978 1 9049 9400 8 Carmichael Crosby Head Up Jazz Show The Victoria Advocate November 9 1958 p 1 TV Tabloid Retrieved June 7 2023 Coming Events The Berkshire Eagle Vol 72 no 65 Pittsfield Mass July 20 1963 p 5 Berkshire Calendar Retrieved June 7 2023 Program Storrowton Music Fair July 31 1961 Retrieved October 17 2016 Under Canvas Musicals To Debut at ECC Billboard June 8 1959 p 66 Jane Morgan Will Star in Hello Dolly Schenectady Gazette May 25 1971 p 12 Retrieved October 17 2016 Jane Morgan Internet Broadway Database Retrieved October 17 2016 Will Seek Divorce Saskatoon Star Phoenix July 4 1964 Retrieved April 18 2018 failed verification a b c Francis D McKinley interview with Jane Morgan 22 May 2000 full citation needed a b Jane Morgan Nashville Liner Notes 1970 Johnny Mathis Jane Morgan Pictures Photos amp Images Zimbio Retrieved July 6 2015 Jane Morgan In My Style The Brick Store Museum January 18 2022 Retrieved February 16 2022 a b 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 articleExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jane Morgan singer Jane Morgan at IMDb Profile oldies com with wrong year of birth UNICEF Ball honoring Jerry Weintraub Huffington Post Weintraub Salute Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jane Morgan amp oldid 1171666673, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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