HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Lee Morse

Born Lena Corinne Taylor as #9 of 12 children on 30 November 1897, guitarist, Lee Morse was a vaudeville torch singer (sad or sentimental love songs) with a yodel. Hers was a musical family which toured by wagon as the Taylor Family Concert Company, making the place of her birth uncertain. Wikipedia lends Cove, Oregon. Joanna Zattiero bases her research on an account by Lee's younger brother, Glen, which has Lena born earlier in Texas before traveling to Oregon [Academia]. The latter account has her receiving her first professional billing at age three with the rest of her family in Leadville, Colorado, a stop along the way to Oregon where the family would purchase a ranch which soon went bust, leading her father, Pleas, who mixed entertainment with preaching, to take his family to Portland until he claimed a homestead near Kooskia, Idaho. Accounts agree that this is where Lene was raised.

Lene Taylor became Lee Morse via marriage to Elmer Morse in 1915 (divorce 1925), Lee the stage name she assumed upon beginning to perform in the region in 1917. In 1920 she followed her father to the Democratic National Convention (he an Idaho delegate) in San Francisco where vaudeville producer, Will King, saw her performance at the Hotel St. Francis and hired her, beginning her career in vaudeville.

Lee traveled with a couple more companies until drawn to Broadway to perform in musicals in 1923 ('Hitchy-Koo', 'Artists and Models'). While thus engaged she made trial tracks on guitar, piano and vocals for Victor in June of 1923: 'Darky Patter', 'Swanee River', 'Nigger Patties' and 'Louisville Lou'. Her first session to issue in Scott Alexander's Red Hot Jazz was on 1 October 1924 for 'Lee's Lullaby' (Pathé Actuelle 32102). A week later on the 7th arrived 'Alone At Last' (flip to 32102) and 'Mail Man Blues' / 'Bring Back Those Rock-a-Bye Baby Days' (32086).

'Lee's Lullaby' Lee Morse

Recorded 1 Oct 1924 NYC Pathé Actuelle 32102 / Perfect 12181 B

First known recording to issue

Composition: Lee Morse

Alexander commences his list of sessions for Morse and her Blue Grass Boys with 'Everybody Loves My Baby But My Baby Don't Love Nobody But Me' (32101) on 11 November 1924. Various who passed through her Blue Grass Boys would include Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Eddie Lang, Manny Klein, Rube Bloom, John Cali, Frank Signorelli, Irving Brodsky, Adrian Rollini, Carl Kress and Stan King. Morse and her Serenaders spread along several tracks as early as 17 March 1927 toward 'Ain't He Sweet?' / 'Mollie Make Up Your Mind' (Columbia 939-D).

'Yes, Sir! That's My Baby!' Lee Morse and Her Blue Grass Boys

Recorded May 1925 Pathé Actuelle 25146 / Perfect 11580 A

Music: Walter Donaldson Lyrics: Gus Kahn

'Lonely Nights' Lee Morse and Her Blue Grass Boys

Recorded 4 Nov 1926 in NYC Pathé Actuelle 25201 / Perfect 11635 B

Composition: Lee Morse

'I Hate to Say Goodbye' Lee Morse and Her Blues Serenaders

Recorded 17 March 1927 in NYC Columbia 1063-D

Composition: Lee Morse

'Give Me A Goodnight Kiss' Lee Morse and Her Blues Serenaders

Recorded 9 Dec 1927 in NYC Columbia 1276-D

Composition: Lee Morse

'If I Can't Have You' Lee Morse and Her Blue Grass Boys

Recorded 18 Oct 1929 in NYC Columbia 2012-D

Music: George W. Meyer Lyrics: Alfred Bryan

Morse performed on Broadway again at the Ziegfield Theatre in 1930, 'Simple Simon' staged from February into June. She was also the feature of three short films in 1930: The Music Racket' (Vitaphone), 'Song Service' (Paramount) and 'A Million Me's' (Paramount).

'The Music Racket' Film starring Lee Morse

Directed by Bryan Foy Vitaphone 1004

Titles in this film:

'Get Happy' (opening credits) / 'My Gal Sal' / 'Mail Man Blues' / 'In the Middle of the Night'

'Song Service' Film starring Lee Morse

Directed by Norman Taurog Paramount

Titles in this film:

'Always, My Dear, I'll Adore You' / 'Just Another Dream Gone Wrong'

'A Million Me's' Film starring Lee Morse

Directed by Monte Brice Paramount

Titles in this film:

'What Wouldn't I Do for That Man?' / 'Don't Get Collegiate' / 'Mail Man Blues'

'I'm an Unemployed Sweetheart' Lee Morse and Her Blue Grass Boys

Recorded 8 July 1931 in NYC Columbia 2497-D

Music: James V. Monaco Lyrics: Edgar Leslie / Ned Washington

'Shadows on the Wall' Lee Morse (vocal)

Recorded 2 March 1938 in NYC Decca 1919

Composition: Lee Morse

In 1935 Morse had opened her own club in Texas with pianist, Bob Downey, until it burned down in 1939, directing them to Rochester, New York, where Morse played clubs while doing radio. She recorded nothing during the forties during which period she married a second time in 1946 to Ray Farese. After more than decade since her last recording session she visted the studio one again to make her final recordings in New York City on 19 May 1950, DAHR (Discography of American Historical Recordings) listing those per a session on 19 May toward 'If You Only Knew' / 'Lonesome Darlin' (Decca 27066) and 'Don't Even Change a Picture on the Wall' / 'Longing' (Decca 27163).