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Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – February 19, 1972, New York City) was an American hard bop trumpeter.
Edward Lee Morgan was born in Philadelphia on July 10, 1938, the youngest of Otto Ricardo and Nettie Beatrice Morgan's four children.
Lee Morgan, a leading trumpeter and composer, recorded prolifically from 1956 until a day before his death in February 1972. Originally interested in the vibraphone, he soon showed a growing enthusiasm for the trumpet. On his thirteenth birthday, his sister Ernestine gave him his first trumpet. His primary stylistic influence was Clifford Brown, who gave the teenager a few lessons before he joined the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band at 18, and remained a member for a year and a half, until economics forced Dizzy to disband the unit in 1958. He began recording for Blue Note Records in 1956, eventually recording 25 albums as a leader for the company, with more than 250 musicians. He also recorded on the Vee-Jay label.
He was a featured sideman on several early Hank Mobley records, as well as on John Coltrane's Blue Train (1957), on which he played a trumpet with an angled bell (given to him by Gillespie) and delivered one of his most celebrated solos on the title track.
Joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1958 further developed his talent as a soloist and composer. He toured with Blakey for a few years and was featured on numerous albums by the Messengers, including Moanin', which is one of the band's best-known recordings. When Benny Golson left the Jazz Messengers, Morgan persuaded Blakey to hire Wayne Shorter, a young tenor saxophonist, to fill the chair. This version of the Jazz Messengers, including pianist Bobby Timmons and bassist Jymie Merritt, would record the classic The Freedom Rider album. The drug problems of Morgan and Timmons forced them to leave the band in 1961, and the trumpeter returned to Philadelphia, his hometown. According to Tom Perchard, a Morgan biographer, it was Blakey who introduced the trumpeter to heroin, an addictive drug that impeded his career trajectory.
On returning to New York in 1963, he recorded The Sidewinder (1963), which became his greatest commercial success. The title track cracked the pop charts in 1964, and served as the background theme for Chrysler television commercials during the World Series. The tune was used without Morgan's or Blue Note's consent, and intercession by the label's lawyers led to the commercial being withdrawn.[citation needed] Due to the crossover success of "The Sidewinder" in a rapidly changing pop music market, Blue Note owners encouraged other of its artists to emulate the tune's "boogaloo" beat. Morgan himself repeated the formula several times with compositions such as "Cornbread" (from the eponymous album Cornbread) and "Yes I Can, No You Can't" on The Gigolo. According to drummer Billy Hart, Morgan said he had recorded "The Sidewinder" as filler for the album, and was bemused that it had turned into his biggest hit. He felt that his playing was much more advanced on Grachan Moncur III's essentially avant-garde Evolution album, recorded a month earlier, on November 21, 1963.
After this commercial success, Morgan continued to record prolifically, producing such works as Search for the New Land (1964), which reached the top 20 of the R&B charts. He also briefly rejoined the Jazz Messengers after his successor, Freddie Hubbard, joined another group. Together with John Gilmore, this lineup was filmed by the BBC for seminal jazz television program Jazz 625.
As the 60's progressed, he recorded some twenty additional albums as a leader, and continued to record as a sideman on the albums of other artists, including Wayne Shorter's Night Dreamer; Stanley Turrentine's Mr. Natural; Freddie Hubbard's The Night of the Cookers; Hank Mobley's Dippin', A Caddy for Daddy, A Slice of the Top, Straight No Filter;Jackie McLean's Jack knife and Consequence; Joe Henderson's Mode for Joe; McCoy Tyner's Tender Moments; Lonnie Smith's Think and Turning Point; Elvin Jones' The Prime Element; Jack Wilson's Easterly Winds; Reuben Wilson's Love Bug; Larry Young's Mother Ship; Lee Morgan and Clifford Jordan Live in Baltimore 1968; Andrew Hill's Grass Roots; as well as on several albums with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
He became more politically involved in the last two years of his life, becoming one of the leaders of the Jazz and People's Movement. The group demonstrated during the taping of talk and variety shows during 1970-71 to protest the lack of jazz artists as guest performers and members of the programs' bands. His working band during those last years featured reed men Billy Harper or Bennie Maupin, pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Jymie Merritt and drummers Mickey Roker or Freddie Waits. Maupin, Mabern, Merritt and Roker are featured on the well-regarded 3-disc, Live at the Lighthouse, recorded during a two-week engagement at the Hermosa Beach club, California, in July 1970.
Death
Morgan was murdered in the early hours of February 19, 1972, at Slugs', a jazz club in New York City's East Village where his band was performing. Following an altercation between sets, Morgan's common-law wife Helen More (aka; Morgan), shot him in the chest onstage, killing him within moments. He was 33 years old. According to an eye witness, Miss More (13 years his senior) walked out of the club just before the last set. She returned and the band was already on stage. Lee was trying to get up there, but was talking with some people. He just started to get up the stage, when she entered and called his name. He turned around and she shot him in the heart. She then turned the gun on the club's doorman Ernie Holman, who grabbed her wrist and took the gun away from her. She started to scream "Baby, what have I done?" and ran to him. She was later arrested, tried, sentenced, and paroled by 1978. Soon after, Helen Morgan returned to her native North Carolina. Reportedly she never spoke publicly of the incident, until she granted an interview a month before her death. She died in WIlmington, NC, from heart condition, in March 1996. Helen Morgan was 69.
Top Albums by Lee Morgan
As leader
Lee Morgan Indeed! 1956 Blue Note
Introducing Lee Morgan 1956 Savoy
Lee Morgan Sextet 1957 Blue Note
Lee Morgan Vol. 3 1957 Blue Note
City Lights 1957 Blue Note
The Cooker 1957 Blue Note
Candy 1957 Blue Note
Peckin' Time 1959 Blue Note
Here's Lee Morgan 1960 Vee-Jay
Lee-Way 1960 Blue Note
Expoobident 1960 Vee-Jay
Take Twelve 1962 Jazzland
The Sidewinder 1963 Blue Note
Search for the New Land 1964 Blue Note
Tom Cat 1964 Blue Note
The Rumproller 1965 Blue Note
The Gigolo 1965 Blue Note
Cornbread 1965 Blue Note
Infinity 1965 Blue Note
Delightfulee 1966 Blue Note
Charisma 1966 Blue Note
The Rajah 1966 Blue Note
Standards 1967 Blue Note
Sonic Boom 1967 Blue Note
The Procrastinator 1967 Blue Note
The Sixth Sense 1967 Blue Note
Taru 1968 Blue Note
Caramba! 1968 Blue Note
Live at the Lighthouse 1970 Blue Note
The Last Session 1971 Blue Note
As sideman with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers
1957 Theory of Art
1958 Drums Around the Corner
1958 Moanin'
1959 Africaine
1959 At the Jazz Corner of the World (two volumes)
1959 Paris Jam Session
1960 A Night in Tunisia
1960 Like Someone in Love
1960 Meet You at the Jazz Corner of the World (two volumes)
1960 The Big Beat
1961 A Day with Art Blakey
1961 Art Blakey!!!!! Jazz Messengers!!!!!
1961 The Freedom Rider
1961 Roots & Herbs
1961 The Witch Doctor
1961 Tokyo 1961
1964 'S Make It
1964 Indestructible
1965 Soul Finger with John Coltrane
1957 Blue Train with Dizzy Gillespie
1957 Dizzy Gillespie at Newport with Buddy DeFranco Quartet
1964 Blues Bag with Charles Earland
1972 Intensity
1972 Charles III with Johnny Griffin
1957 A Blowin' Session with Joe Henderson
1966 Mode for Joe with Andrew Hill
1968 Grass Roots
1970 Lift Every Voice with
1971 Flute In with Elvin Jones
1969 The Prime Elements with Clifford Jordan
1957 Cliff Jordan with Wynton Kelly
1959 Kelly Great with Harold Mabern
1970 Greasy Kid Stuff! with Jackie McLean
1965 Jacknife
1965 Consequence
with Hank Mobley
1956 Hank Mobley Sextet
1956 The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley
1958 Peckin' Time
1963 No Room for Squares
1963 Straight No Filter
1965 Dippin'
1965 A Caddy for Daddy
1966 A Slice of the Top
1967 Third Season with Grachan Moncur III
1963 Evolution
with Wayne Shorter
1959 Introducing Wayne Shorter
1964 Night Dreamer
with Jimmy Smith
1957 House Party
1957 Confirmation
1958 The Sermon! with Lonnie Smith
1968 Think!
1969 Turning Point with Stanley Turrentine
1964 Mr. Natural with McCoy Tyner
1967 Tender Moments with Jack Wilson
1967 Easterly Winds
with Reuben Wilson
1969 Love Bug
with Larry Young
1969 Mother Ship
With The Young Lions
The Young Lions (1960) Vee-Jay Records
24" Rainbow Faux Silk Necklace For Eye / Sun Glasses
Morgan was murdered in the early hours of February 19, 1972, at Slugs', a jazz club in New York City's East Village where his band was performing. Following an altercation between sets, Morgan's common-law wife Helen More (aka; Morgan), shot him in the chest onstage, killing him within moments. He was 33 years old. According to an eye witness, Miss More (13 years his senior) walked out of the club just before the last set. She returned and the band was already on stage. Lee was trying to get up there, but was talking with some people. He just started to get up the stage, when she entered and called his name. He turned around and she shot him in the heart. She then turned the gun on the club's doorman Ernie Holman, who grabbed her wrist and took the gun away from her. She started to scream "Baby, what have I done?" and ran to him. She was later arrested, tried, sentenced, and paroled by 1978. Soon after, Helen Morgan returned to her native North Carolina. Reportedly she never spoke publicly of the incident, until she granted an interview a month before her death. She died in WIlmington, NC, from heart condition, in March 1996. Helen Morgan was 69.
Top Albums by Lee Morgan
As leader
Lee Morgan Indeed! 1956 Blue Note
Introducing Lee Morgan 1956 Savoy
Lee Morgan Sextet 1957 Blue Note
Lee Morgan Vol. 3 1957 Blue Note
City Lights 1957 Blue Note
The Cooker 1957 Blue Note
Candy 1957 Blue Note
Peckin' Time 1959 Blue Note
Here's Lee Morgan 1960 Vee-Jay
Lee-Way 1960 Blue Note
Expoobident 1960 Vee-Jay
Take Twelve 1962 Jazzland
The Sidewinder 1963 Blue Note
Search for the New Land 1964 Blue Note
Tom Cat 1964 Blue Note
The Rumproller 1965 Blue Note
The Gigolo 1965 Blue Note
Cornbread 1965 Blue Note
Infinity 1965 Blue Note
Delightfulee 1966 Blue Note
Charisma 1966 Blue Note
The Rajah 1966 Blue Note
Standards 1967 Blue Note
Sonic Boom 1967 Blue Note
The Procrastinator 1967 Blue Note
The Sixth Sense 1967 Blue Note
Taru 1968 Blue Note
Caramba! 1968 Blue Note
Live at the Lighthouse 1970 Blue Note
The Last Session 1971 Blue Note
As sideman with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers
1957 Theory of Art
1958 Drums Around the Corner
1958 Moanin'
1959 Africaine
1959 At the Jazz Corner of the World (two volumes)
1959 Paris Jam Session
1960 A Night in Tunisia
1960 Like Someone in Love
1960 Meet You at the Jazz Corner of the World (two volumes)
1960 The Big Beat
1961 A Day with Art Blakey
1961 Art Blakey!!!!! Jazz Messengers!!!!!
1961 The Freedom Rider
1961 Roots & Herbs
1961 The Witch Doctor
1961 Tokyo 1961
1964 'S Make It
1964 Indestructible
1965 Soul Finger with John Coltrane
1957 Blue Train with Dizzy Gillespie
1957 Dizzy Gillespie at Newport with Buddy DeFranco Quartet
1964 Blues Bag with Charles Earland
1972 Intensity
1972 Charles III with Johnny Griffin
1957 A Blowin' Session with Joe Henderson
1966 Mode for Joe with Andrew Hill
1968 Grass Roots
1970 Lift Every Voice with
1971 Flute In with Elvin Jones
1969 The Prime Elements with Clifford Jordan
1957 Cliff Jordan with Wynton Kelly
1959 Kelly Great with Harold Mabern
1970 Greasy Kid Stuff! with Jackie McLean
1965 Jacknife
1965 Consequence
with Hank Mobley
1956 Hank Mobley Sextet
1956 The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley
1958 Peckin' Time
1963 No Room for Squares
1963 Straight No Filter
1965 Dippin'
1965 A Caddy for Daddy
1966 A Slice of the Top
1967 Third Season with Grachan Moncur III
1963 Evolution
with Wayne Shorter
1959 Introducing Wayne Shorter
1964 Night Dreamer
with Jimmy Smith
1957 House Party
1957 Confirmation
1958 The Sermon! with Lonnie Smith
1968 Think!
1969 Turning Point with Stanley Turrentine
1964 Mr. Natural with McCoy Tyner
1967 Tender Moments with Jack Wilson
1967 Easterly Winds
with Reuben Wilson
1969 Love Bug
with Larry Young
1969 Mother Ship
With The Young Lions
The Young Lions (1960) Vee-Jay Records
24" Rainbow Faux Silk Necklace For Eye / Sun Glasses
