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 1-25 of 116 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-75786 | 10-in. | 4/11/1933 | I've got to sing a torch song | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with piano and guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | BS-75787 | 10-in. | 4/11/1933 | Pettin' in the park | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with piano and guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | BS-75788 | 10-in. | 4/11/1933 | In the little white church on the hill | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with piano and guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | BS-75789 | 10-in. | 4/11/1933 | While the rest of the world is sleeping | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with piano and guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | [Trial 1923-06-30-02] | 10-in. | 6/30/1923 | Darky patter | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | [Trial 1923-06-30-03] | 10-in. | 6/30/1923 | Swanee River | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | [Trial 1923-07-16-01] | 10-in. | 7/16/1923 | Nigger patties, part 1 | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | [Trial 1923-07-16-02] | 10-in. | 7/16/1923 | Nigger patties, part 2 | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
Victor | [Trial 1923-07-16-03] | 10-in. | 7/16/1923 | Louisville Lou | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W143659 | 10-in. | 3/16/1927 | I'd love to be in love | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar | composer, lyricist, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W143660 | 10-in. | 3/16/1927 | Where the wild, wild flowers grow | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W143661 | 10-in. | 3/16/1927 | My idea of heaven (Is to be in love with you) | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W143662 | 10-in. | 3/16/1927 | Side by side | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W143678 | 10-in. | 3/17/1927 | I hate to say goodbye | Lee Morse and her Southern Serenaders | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Columbia | W143679 | 10-in. | 3/17/1927 | (What do I care what) Somebody said | Lee Morse and her Southern Serenaders | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W143680 | 10-in. | 3/17/1927 | Ain't he sweet? | Lee Morse and her Southern Serenaders | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, leader | |
Columbia | W143681 | 10-in. | 3/17/1927 | Mollie make up your mind | Lee Morse and her Southern Serenaders | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, composer, lyricist, leader | |
Columbia | W144414 | 10-in. | 6/30/1927 | Rosita | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | composer, lyricist, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W144415 | 10-in. | 6/30/1927 | I'm a red-hot hot-house flower (But my daddy is an ice-cream cone) | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W144416 | 10-in. | 6/30/1927 | We (My honey and me) | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W144417 | 10-in. | 6/30/1927 | I've looked all over (For a girl like you) | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with piano | songwriter, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W144579 | 10-in. | 8/27/1927 | Dawning | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W144580 | 10-in. | 8/27/1927 | I've looked all over for a girl like you | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | songwriter, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W144845 | 10-in. | 10/10/1927 | Old fashioned romance | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with instrumental quintet | composer, lyricist, vocalist, contralto | |
Columbia | W144846 | 10-in. | 10/10/1927 | Did you mean it? | Lee Morse | Female vocal solo, with instrumental quintet | vocalist, contralto |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Morse, Lee," accessed November 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110542.
Morse, Lee. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110542.
"Morse, Lee." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 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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