Ella Mae Morse

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Ella Mae Morse 1944

Ella Mae Morse (born September 12, 1924 in Mansfield , Texas , † October 16, 1999 in Bullhead City , Arizona ) was an American singer in the fields of rhythm and blues , rock 'n' roll , country , jazz and the popular music .

Live and act

Ella's father was a drummer, her mother a pianist; She made her first attempts as a singer in her father's band. Ella Mae Morse sang with Jimmy Dorsey at the age of fourteen . He thought she was 19 and when the school authorities informed him of her real age, he fired her. In 1942 - now 17 years old - she became the band singer of the boogie-woogie pianist Freddie Slack . With him she recorded the record Cow Coe Boogie for Capitol Records ; the single brought the label the first gold record. Another successful '78 single with Slack's Orchestra was Mr. Five by Five , which was also released by Capitol in 1942. She also made the hit Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet , which was later made famous by Nancy Walker in the film Broadway Rhythm .

In 1943 Morse began recording as a soloist; with the song Shoo Shoo Baby she was number 1 on the R&B charts for two weeks in December and number 18 on the national pop charts for four weeks . That same year she made a cameo in the film Reveille with Beverly . She now sang in various musical styles and had hit hits on both the Billboard Hot 100 pop and the rhythm and blues charts , but never achieved great popularity.

Ella Mae Morse and Freddie Slack's 78er "House of Blue Lights"

As a result, other singles appeared on Capitol, such as the jazz standard Love Me or Leave Me with the backside Blacksmith Blues . In 1946 she took with Freddie Slack the title House of Blue Lights , which he had written with Don Raye , which was then interpreted by many African-American R&B artists. Their greatest success was the Blacksmith Blues in 1952 ; in the same year she recorded her version of the classic Down the Road a Piece with Slack . With the hillbilly singer Tennessee Ernie Ford she sang the title I'm Hog Tied Over You in a duet in 1952. Their version of the Oakie Boogie reached # 23 on the charts in 1952; the title was one of Nelson Riddle's earliest arrangements . Her last hit was Forty Cups of Coffee in August 1953 , when she was accompanied by the Dave Cavanough Orchestra.

In 1955 their version of the early rock and roll title Razzle Dazzle appeared , which Bill Haley & His Comets also recorded. Ella Mae Morse's last recordings were made in 1957 when she recorded the album The Morse Code for Capitol ; but she continued to perform until 1987. She died of respiratory failure in 1999 at the age of 75 in Bullhead City , Arizona . Morse had six children from two marriages.

Appreciation

Her career was described in Nick Tosche's 1984 book The Unsung Heroes of Rock 'N' Roll: The Birth of Rock in the Wild Years Before Elvis . Ella Mae Morse was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street . ST Alewine described Ella Mae Morse in Allmusic as one of the most talented but forgotten vocalists of the 1940s. Mixing jazz, country, pop, and R&B, Morse was a notable pioneer of what was soon to be referred to as rock and roll . Marked Elvis Presley , the singer, who was considered by many mistaken for a black woman, as an important role model.

Discographic notes

Ella Mae Morse and her Boogie Woogie Seven: "A Little Further Down the Road a Piece"

78s and singles

  • The 1940s titles first appeared as 78s on Capitol Records , like
    • 1942 - Cow Cow Boogie, Mister Five by Five, Get On Board Little Chillun, Old Rob Boy, He's My Guy
    • 1943 - Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet, Shoo Shoo Baby, The Patty Cake Man, Solid Potato Salad
    • 1944 - Take Care of You for Me
    • 1945 - Captain Kidd, House of Blue Lights,
    • 1947 - Pig Foot Pete
    • 1951 - Okie Boogie
    • 1952 - The Blacksmith Blues
    • 1953 - Money Honey , Forty Cups of Coffee
    • 1954 - Barrelhouse, Boogie And The Blues.
  • Coupled with two tracks by Connee Boswell ("Stormy Weather", "Invitation fot the Blues"), "Cow Cow Boogie" was also released as a V-Disc .

Compilations

On the compilation Dynamite Texas Diva Live (Collectors Choice), 19 live recordings by Ella Mae Morse from August 1942 to November 1945, most of them with the AFRS Orchestra, were released, two versions of her best-known title "Cow Cow Boogie" (1942 ) with the Freddie Slack Orchestra and then for two years as a soloist with an AFRS band led by Meredith Willson. Other titles in the compilation are her successful titles "Five by Five" and "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet", the latter from the Johnny Mercer radio show with Paul Weston & His Orchestra . Another compilation appeared under the title In the 50s - Razzle-Dazzle .

The most comprehensive retrospective of their recordings appeared on Bear Family Records under the title Barrelhouse, Boogie And Blues on five CDs, supplemented by a 40-page book. It contains over 100 tracks, including 20 previously unreleased songs , which she made over the course of 15 years for Capitol Records (1942–1957). Besides Freddie Slack, her accompanists included Benny Carter , Barney Kessel , Pete Johnson , Red Callender , Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West .

Web links

Commons : Ella Mae Morse  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ See All Music Guide.
  2. ↑ cf. Capitol discography
  3. ↑ Nick Tosches, The Unsung Heroes of Rock 'N' Roll: The Birth of Rock in the Wild Years before Elvis , 1991, ISBN 0-436-53203-4
  4. ↑ Jim Dawson and Steve Propes, What Was The First Rock 'N' Roll Record , 1992, ISBN 0-571-12939-0
  5. ^ Levinson, September in the Rain , p. 104: "... he contacted Nelson [Riddle] to write for Ella Mae Morse. Their first endeavor together was Oakie Boogie , which turned out to be a minor hit. "
personal data
SURNAME Morse, Ella Mae
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz and R&B singer
DATE OF BIRTH September 12, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Mansfield , Texas
DATE OF DEATH October 16, 1999
Place of death Bullhead City , Arizona