Russ Morgan
Russ Morgan ( born April 29, 1904 in Scranton, Pennsylvania; † August 7, 1969 in Las Vegas ) was an American bandleader, pianist, trombonist and composer.
Morgan's father was a miner in the coal mining in Pennsylvania and Welsh descent - he played in his spare drums in a band. His mother was a pianist before her marriage in a vaudeville show. Morgan also worked in the mine, in order to relieve the family; in addition he has played with fourteen years in a theater piano. In 1921, he played trombone with the Scranton Sirens, a popular local band, from the Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey emerged. In 1922 he went to New York, worked as an arranger, among others, for John Philip Sousa and toured the mid-1920s with the orchestra of Paul Specht in Europe. After his return he was for Jean gold chain bandleader in Detroit, where he reunited with the Dorsey brothers as well as musicians such as Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang and Bix Beiderbecke. In 1935, he took on the piano with Joe Venuti and as a trombonist with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. A short time in 1934 he arranged for Fletcher Henderson.
He had great success as a music director of the radio station WXYZ in Detroit, where he had the popular show Music in the Morgan Manner.
After a car accident that almost ended his career, he moved back to New York City, where he arranged for Broadway shows and orchestras such as the played by Freddy Martin trombone and piano. There he also developed his wah-wah trombone sound when playing. He also worked early Brunswick Records. After encouragement by the entertainer Rudy Vallee, he founded his own orchestra ( with Martin as an example ). , Which played at the Biltmore Hotel They had nationwide exposure in hotels and Morgan had also at this time the musical director of several radio shows for NBC and CBS.
In 1944 he was one of the composers of 're Nobody til Somebody Loves You ( with Larry Stock, James Cavanaugh ) and his band took him on as a first.
In 1949 he had with Decca So Tired, Cruising Down the River, Sunflower, Forever and Ever and with Dogface Soldier chart success (the latter to a film of Audie Murphy).
His dance band was also successful in the 1950s. At that time also played his sons Jack (trombone), who took over the band after the death of his father in 1969, and David (guitar) in the band.
1965 to 1977 the band had an engagement at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. The band is still.
In 1937 he won the Down Beat poll as a trombonist in the category Sweet Music ( in the jazz magazine then ironically called corn ). Morgan has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.