Ella Mae Morse
Encyclopedia
Ella Mae Morse was an American
popular
singer. Morse blended jazz
, country
, pop
, and R&B
.
, Texas
, United States
. She was hired by Jimmy Dorsey
when she was 14 years old. Dorsey believed she was 19, and when he was informed by the school board that he was now responsible for her care, he fired her. In 1942, at the age of 17, she joined Freddie Slack
's band
, with whom in the same year she recorded
"Cow Cow Boogie
", Capitol Records
' first gold
single
. "Mr. Five by Five
" was also recorded by Morse with Slack, and they had a hit recording with the song in 1942 (Capitol 115). She also originated the wartime hit
"Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet", which was later popularized by Nancy Walker
in the film
, Broadway Rhythm
.
In 1943, Morse began to record solo
. She reached #1 in the R&B chart with "Shoo-Shoo Baby
" in December for two weeks. In the same year she performed "Cow Cow Boogie" in the film Reveille with Beverly
and starred in Universal's South of Dixie and The Ghost Catchers with Olsen and Johnson
and How Do You Dooo? with radio's Mad Russian, Bert Gordon
. She sang in a wide variety of styles
, and she had hits on both the U.S.
pop
and rhythm and blues
charts
. However, she never received the popularity of a major star
because her versatility prevented her from being placed into any one category of music.
The song "Love Me or Leave Me
" as recorded by Morse was released by Capitol Records
as catalog number 1922, with the flip side
"Blacksmith Blues
," which became her biggest hit.
In 1946, "House of Blue Lights
" by Freddie Slack
and Morse, (written by Slack and Raye
) saw them perform what was one of many of Raye's songs picked up by black R&B artists. Her biggest solo success was "Blacksmith Blues" in 1952, which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. The same year her version of "Down the Road a Piece
" appeared on Capitol with Slack again on piano
accompaniment. Morse also recorded a version of "Oakie Boogie
" for Capitol which reached #23 in 1952. Her version was one of the first songs arranged
by Nelson Riddle
.
Morse ceased recording in 1957, but continued performing until the early 1990s at such clubs as Michael's Pub in New York, Ye Little Club in Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
's Cinegrill and the Vine St. Bar and Grill. She appeared regularly at Disneyland for several years with the Ray McKinley
Orchestra, and did a successful tour of Australia
shortly before her final illness.
Her music career was profiled in Nick Tosches
' 1984 book, The Unsung Heroes of Rock 'N' Roll: The Birth of Rock in the Wild Years Before Elvis. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 1724 Vine Street. Her entire recorded body of work was issued in a deluxe box set by Bear Family Records
.
s, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and an estranged sister named Flo Handy, who was also a singer.
In 1999 Morse died of respiratory failure
in Bullhead City
, Arizona
, aged 75.
in the 1950s. This is not true, although she did record versions
of song
s also recorded by Haley such as "Razzle-Dazzle" and "Forty Cups of Coffee".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
popular
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
singer. Morse blended jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
.
Career
Morse was born in MansfieldMansfield, Texas
Mansfield is a city in Ellis, Johnson, and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,368.In 2009, CNN/Money Magazine rated Mansfield as one of the "Best Places to Live" in the United States, ranking 24th out of the top 100 places.-History:The first...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She was hired by Jimmy Dorsey
Jimmy Dorsey
James "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD"...
when she was 14 years old. Dorsey believed she was 19, and when he was informed by the school board that he was now responsible for her care, he fired her. In 1942, at the age of 17, she joined Freddie Slack
Freddie Slack
Frederick Charles Slack was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader.He played with the Jimmy Dorsey Band in the 1930s and was a charter member of the Will Bradley Orchestra when it formed in 1939...
's band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, with whom in the same year she recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
"Cow Cow Boogie
Cow-Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)
"Cow Cow Boogie " is a "country-boogie" style blues song satirizing the folklore of the singing cowboy in the American West. In the lyrics, the cowboy is from the city and tells his "doggies" to "get hip." The music was written by Don Raye, and lyrics were written by Benny Carter and Gene De...
", Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
' first gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. "Mr. Five by Five
Mr. Five by Five
"Mr. Five by Five" is a 1942 popular song by Don Raye and Gene DePaul that describes an heavyset man who is "five feet tall and five feet wide". The person highlighted by the song was Jimmy Rushing, "Mr...
" was also recorded by Morse with Slack, and they had a hit recording with the song in 1942 (Capitol 115). She also originated the wartime hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet", which was later popularized by Nancy Walker
Nancy Walker
Nancy Walker was an American actress and comedienne of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director...
in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Broadway Rhythm
Broadway Rhythm
Broadway Rhythm is an MGM Technicolor musical film. It was produced by Jack Cummings and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film was originally announced as Broadway Melody of 1944 to follow MGM's Broadway Melody films of 1929, 1936, 1938, and 1940. The movie was originally slated to star Eleanor...
.
In 1943, Morse began to record solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
. She reached #1 in the R&B chart with "Shoo-Shoo Baby
Shoo Shoo Baby (song)
Shoo Shoo Baby is a popular song made famous by The Andrews Sisters. They sang it in the 1943 film Three Cheers for the Boys and it became a big hit for them in 1944, reaching No. 6 in the chart. Their version features a jazzy vocal pop arrangement typical of the time, with a key hook provided by...
" in December for two weeks. In the same year she performed "Cow Cow Boogie" in the film Reveille with Beverly
Reveille with Beverly
Reveille with Beverly is an American film starring Ann Miller, Franklin Pangborn, and Larry Parks directed by Charles Barton, released by Columbia Pictures, based on the Reveille with Beverly radio show hosted by Jean Ruth Hay...
and starred in Universal's South of Dixie and The Ghost Catchers with Olsen and Johnson
Olsen and Johnson
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem...
and How Do You Dooo? with radio's Mad Russian, Bert Gordon
Bert Gordon
Bert Gordon was an American comedian and voice actor. His birth name was Barney Gorodetsky. He appeared in many roles over his lengthy career and was known by the moniker "the Mad Russian"....
. She sang in a wide variety of styles
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
, and she had hits on both the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and rhythm and blues
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. However, she never received the popularity of a major star
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
because her versatility prevented her from being placed into any one category of music.
The song "Love Me or Leave Me
Love Me or Leave Me (song)
"Love Me or Leave Me" is a U.S. popular song from the 1920s.The music was written by Walter Donaldson and the lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song was introduced in the Broadway play, Whoopee!, which opened in December 1928...
" as recorded by Morse was released by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
as catalog number 1922, with the flip side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
"Blacksmith Blues
Blacksmith Blues
The Blacksmith Blues is a song which was written for Ella Mae Morse by Jack Holmes. The arrangement was created by Billy May and Nelson Riddle and the first recording was produced by Lee Gillette. Bob Bain played a muffled ashtray with a triangle beater to create the hammer and anvil sound effect...
," which became her biggest hit.
In 1946, "House of Blue Lights
The House of Blue Lights (song)
"The House of Blue Lights" is a popular song published in 1946, written by Don Raye and Freddie Slack. It was first recorded by Freddie Slack with singer Ella Mae Morse, and was covered the same year by The Andrews Sisters....
" by Freddie Slack
Freddie Slack
Frederick Charles Slack was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader.He played with the Jimmy Dorsey Band in the 1930s and was a charter member of the Will Bradley Orchestra when it formed in 1939...
and Morse, (written by Slack and Raye
Don Raye
Don Raye , born Donald MacRae Wilhoite, Jr., in Washington, D.C., was an American vaudevillian and songwriter, best known for his songs for the Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", "The House of Blue Lights", "Just For A Thrill" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."While known for...
) saw them perform what was one of many of Raye's songs picked up by black R&B artists. Her biggest solo success was "Blacksmith Blues" in 1952, which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. The same year her version of "Down the Road a Piece
Down the Road a Piece
"Down the Road a Piece" is a boogie-woogie song written by Don Raye. In 1940, it was recorded by the Will Bradley Trio and became a top 10 hit in the closing months of the year...
" appeared on Capitol with Slack again on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
accompaniment. Morse also recorded a version of "Oakie Boogie
Oakie Boogie
"Oakie Boogie" is a Western swing dance song written by Johnny Tyler in 1947. It is recognizable by its refrain:Jack Guthrie's version reached #3 on the charts in 1947 and is often included in the list of the first rock and roll songs...
" for Capitol which reached #23 in 1952. Her version was one of the first songs arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
by Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
.
Morse ceased recording in 1957, but continued performing until the early 1990s at such clubs as Michael's Pub in New York, Ye Little Club in Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is a historic Spanish-style hotel located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Named after Theodore Roosevelt and financed by a group including Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Louis B. Mayer, it first opened its doors on May 15, 1927...
's Cinegrill and the Vine St. Bar and Grill. She appeared regularly at Disneyland for several years with the Ray McKinley
Ray McKinley
Ray McKinley was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader.McKinley got his start working with local bands in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, before joining Smith Ballew in 1929, when he met Glenn Miller. The two formed a friendship which lasted from 1929 until Miller's death in 1944....
Orchestra, and did a successful tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
shortly before her final illness.
Her music career was profiled in Nick Tosches
Nick Tosches
Nick Tosches is an American journalist, novelist, biographer, and poet of Albanian and Italian descent.- Life :After different odd-jobs, Tosches started writing with poetry and rock-'n'-roll magazines, including Creem, Fusion, and Rolling Stone.Tosches' second book, a biography of Jerry Lee Lewis...
' 1984 book, The Unsung Heroes of Rock 'N' Roll: The Birth of Rock in the Wild Years Before Elvis. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1724 Vine Street. Her entire recorded body of work was issued in a deluxe box set by Bear Family Records
Bear Family Records
Bear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label that specializes in reissues of archival material ranging from country music to 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks.-History:...
.
Musical style
As Morse's musical style blended jazz, blues, and country, she has sometimes been called the first rock 'n' roll singer. Her records sold well to both Caucasian and African-American audiences. As she was not well known at the time of her first solo hits, many people assumed she was black because of her 'hip' vocal style and choice of material.Personal life and death
Morse had six children from two marriageMarriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
s, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and an estranged sister named Flo Handy, who was also a singer.
In 1999 Morse died of respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
in Bullhead City
Bullhead City, Arizona
Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, USA, roughly south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the employment for Bullhead City...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, aged 75.
Hit singles
| Year | Single | US Chart position | label | catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | "Cow Cow Boogie" | 9 | Capitol | 102 |
| "Mr. Five by Five Mr. Five by Five "Mr. Five by Five" is a 1942 popular song by Don Raye and Gene DePaul that describes an heavyset man who is "five feet tall and five feet wide". The person highlighted by the song was Jimmy Rushing, "Mr... " |
10 | Capitol | 115 | |
| 1943 | "Get On Board Little Chillun" | 17 (R&B) | Capitol | 133 |
| "Shoo Shoo Baby" | 4 | Capitol | 143 | |
| 1944 | "No Love, No Nothin’" | 4 | Capitol | 143 |
| "Tess' Torch Song" | 11 | Capitol | 151 | |
| "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet" | 7 | Capitol | 151 | |
| "The Patty Cake Man" | 10 | Capitol | 163 | |
| 1945 | "Captain Kidd" | 17 | Capitol | 193 |
| 1946 | "Buzz Me" | 15 | Capitol | 226 |
| "The House of Blue Lights The House of Blue Lights (song) "The House of Blue Lights" is a popular song published in 1946, written by Don Raye and Freddie Slack. It was first recorded by Freddie Slack with singer Ella Mae Morse, and was covered the same year by The Andrews Sisters.... " |
8 (R&B) | Capitol | 251 | |
| 1952 | "The Blacksmith Blues" | 3 | Capitol | 1922 |
| "Oakie Boogie" | 23 | Capitol | 2072 | |
| 1953 | "40 Cups of Coffee" | 26 | Capitol | 2539 |
Note
It is sometimes erroneously reported that Morse recorded with Bill Haley & His CometsBill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
in the 1950s. This is not true, although she did record versions
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s also recorded by Haley such as "Razzle-Dazzle" and "Forty Cups of Coffee".
See also
- List of Jump blues musicians
- List of artists who reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart
- First rock and roll record