Lee Morse
Lena Corinne "Lee" Morse (née Taylor; November 30, 1897 – December 16, 1954) was an American jazz and blues singer-songwriter, composer, guitarist, and actress. Morse's greatest popularity was in the 1920s and early 1930s as a torch singer, although her career began around 1917 and continued until her death in 1954. Morse was known for her strong, deep singing voice and vocal range, which often belied her petite frame. She possessed a contralto vocal range, and one of her trademarks was her unique style of yodeling. Recording over 200 songs over her career, Morse was one of the most recorded female singers of the 1920s. She was also moderately successful as an actress on the Broadway stage. Her life and career, however, were marred by alcoholism. Morse's group the Blue Grass Boys had no relation either to their later namesake of Bill Monroe's nor bluegrass music. In 2014, Morse's rendition of "If You Want the Rainbow" was used in an episode of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 51-75 of 116 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | W147403 | 10-in. | 12/10/1928 | Just you and I | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | vocalist, contralto, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Columbia | W147442 | 10-in. | 11/3/1928 | If you want the rainbow (You must have the rain) | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano (takes 4-6); with alto saxophone, cornet, trombone, banjo, and piano (takes 1-3) | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W148632 | 10-in. | 5/27/1929 | He's a good man to have around | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W148633 | 10-in. | 5/27/1929 | I'm doing what I'm doing for love | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W148784 | 10-in. | 7/3/1929 | Miss you | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W148785 | 10-in. | 7/3/1929 | In the hush of the night | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W148846 | 10-in. | 7/24/1929 | Moanin' low | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W148847 | 10-in. | 7/24/1929 | Sweetness | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W148992 | 10-in. | 9/11/1929 | Sweetheart's holiday | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W148993 | 10-in. | 9/11/1929 | Love me | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W149156 | 10-in. | 10/18/1929 | Look what you've done to me | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W149160 | 10-in. | 10/18/1929 | If I can't have you (If you can't have me) | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W149469 | 10-in. | 11/4/1929 | My fate is in your hands | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W149470 | 10-in. | 11/4/1929 | To be forgotten | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W149684 | 10-in. | 12/5/1929 | A little kiss each morning (A little kiss at night) | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W149685 | 10-in. | 12/5/1929 | I love you, believe me, I love you | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W149773 | 10-in. | 1/16/1930 | Until love comes along | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W149774 | 10-in. | 1/16/1930 | Blue, turning grey over you | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W150032 | 10-in. | 2/27/1930 | 'Tain't no sin (To dance around in your bones) | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W150033 | 10-in. | 2/27/1930 | I'm following you | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W150138 | 10-in. | 3/27/1930 | Cooking breakfast for the one I love | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W150139 | 10-in. | 3/27/1930 | Sing, you sinners | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W150570 | 10-in. | 6/5/1930 | Swingin' in a hammock | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W150571 | 10-in. | 6/5/1930 | Seems to me | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | leader, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W150623 | 10-in. | 7/7/1930 | Little white lies | Blue Grass Boys ; Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Morse, Lee," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110542.
Morse, Lee. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110542.
"Morse, Lee." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Morse, Lee, -1954 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97048112
Wikidata: Lee Morse - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3829380
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/66077205
MusicBrainz: Lee Morse - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8ef9cc2c-e2a0-4c04-bc0f-80f58cadaaa9
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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