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Jaye P. Morgan

 
Artist: Jaye P. Morgan
  • Born: December 03, 1931, Mancos, CO
  • Active: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s
  • Genres: Vocal Music
  • Instrument: Vocals
  • Representative Albums: "Jaye P. Morgan on RCA", "The Jaye P. Morgan Story", "Jaye P. Morgan

Biography

A popular singer, actress and comedienne, Jaye P. Morgan is an entertainer who became a household name in the 1950s and '60s. She appeared on several television programs, in films and sang and performed concerts, recitals and in nightclubs. Her husky voice became her trademark.

Born in Colorado, Jaye P. Morgan began her career at an early age constantly performing for family and friends. After a while she moved to California to graduate from high school and begin a singing career. In 1949 she graduated from Verdugo Hills High School. From there her professional singing career took off.

After graduating from high school, Jaye P. Morgan landed a spot as a vocalist with the Frank DeVol Orchestra. During the '50s, she made quite a name for herself as a vocalist. Performing concerts and recording songs was what she did in the '50s. Two of her songs, "The Longest Walk" and "That's All I Want From You" were both successful on the American record charts. Her notoriety did not stop with a few hits on the music charts. In the '50s, she also performed as a vocalist on television shows. Jaye P. Morgan made her television debut as a vocalist on Stop the Music, a quiz show which ran from 1954-55. After this show ended, Jaye P. Morgan decided to go it on her own. In 1956 she became the hostess and vocalist on her own show, The Jaye P. Morgan Show. She was also a regular on Robert Q. Lewis' daytime series and on the variety show Perry Presents. In 1960 she portrayed an old time singer on the popular daytime comedy My Three Sons.

During the '60s she led a rather obscure and private life performing infrequently on the nightclub scene. Jaye P. Morgan re-emerged in the '70s concentrating on an actress/entertainer career rather than a singing career. She portrayed herself on The Odd Couple in 1973 and was a plush horse singer in the television movie Adventures of Nick Carter. She is probably best-known for her antics, comedy routines and singing as a panelist on The Gong Show. The show lasted four years and also starred panelists Arte Johnson, Phyllis Diller, Jamie Farr and Rex Reed. the show was made into a movie in 1980 in which Jaye P. Morgan played herself. Her '70s television credits include being a regular on The Chuck Barris Rah Rah Show, The $1.98 Beauty Show and she made a guest appearance on The Muppet Show in 1977 where she used both her singing and acting talents.

Although not as prevalent a personality as she used to be, Jaye P. Morgan continued to be the singer, actress, comedienne and entertainer she was in the '50s. Her credits of the '90s included the films Night Patrol, Coming Attractions and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Her name, however, will most often be associated with her boisterous, fun-loving comedy of The Gong Show. ~ Kim Summers, All Music Guide
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Actor: Jaye P. Morgan
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  • Born: 1929 in Mancos, Colorado
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '70s-'80s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Leisure Arts
  • Career Highlights: The Gong Show Movie, The All-American Boy, Night Patrol
  • First Major Screen Credit: The All-American Boy (1973)

Biography

Singer/actress, onscreen from 1973. ~ All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Jaye P. Morgan
Top

Jaye P. Morgan (born Mary Margaret Morgan, December 3, 1931) is a retired popular American singer and game show panelist.

Contents

Early life

Morgan was born in Mancos, Colorado, but her family moved to California by the time she was in high school. In the late 1940s, at Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, Los Angeles, California, she served as class treasurer (and got the nickname "Jaye P." after the banker J. P. Morgan) and sang at school assemblies, accompanied by her brother on guitar.

1950s

In 1950, a year after graduation from high school, she made a recording of the song "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" which made it to the Top Ten. Soon after, she received an RCA Victor recording contract and she had five hits in one year, including "That's All I Want from You," her biggest hit, which reached #3 on the charts. Other notable hits included "The Longest Walk" and "Pepper Hot Baby".

From 1954 to 1955, she was a vocalist on the television show Stop the Music. In 1956, she had her own television show, named for her, and guested on a number of other variety shows as well. She was a charter member of the Robert Q. Lewis "gang" on Lewis's popular weekday show on CBS, and was featured on a special episode of The Jackie Gleason Show in which Lewis's entire company substituted for the vacationing Gleason.

1960s and '70s

After a period in the 1960s when she did very little in the entertainment field, confining herself to a small number of night club appearances, she returned to the public eye in the 1970s, mainly as an actress. She played herself on a 1973 episode (The Songwriter) of the sitcom The Odd Couple.

Morgan also guest starred on The Muppet Show (episode 218) in which she and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem sang "That Old Black Magic."

Game Show Panelist

In the 1970s she was a panelist on the game/variety shows The Gong Show and Rhyme and Reason and Match Game and in the 1980 "behind-the-scenes" movie version of The Gong Show. She was also right at home on the Playboy Channel game show Everything Goes.

The "Gong Show"

A clip of her exposing herself was saved, and later used in The Gong Show Movie, though it was not the only instance of Morgan baring her breasts on the show. In tapes of other episodes (including an episode aired on GSN in 2007), she can be seen unbuttoning her blouse while "Gene Gene The Dancing Machine" comes onstage, then a quick camera cut, and a cut back to Morgan buttoning up again and returning to her seat. It is a different clip than that used in The Gong Show Movie as she is wearing different clothes.[citation needed] She can also be seen unbuttoning her blouse during a sketch of a guest singing "How Lovely To Be a Woman". In Barris' first autobiography, he mentioned this incident in which Morgan bared her breasts to this particular act.[1]

Recordings

  • "Are You Lonesome Tonight" (better-known hit for Elvis Presley) (backed with "Miss You") (1959)
  • "Chee Chee Oo Chee" (backed with "Two Lost Souls", duet with Perry Como) (1955)
  • "Danger, Heartbreak Ahead" (1955)
  • "Get Up, Get Up (You Sleepyhead)" (1956)
  • "If You Don't Want My Love" (1955)
  • "I Walk the Line" (1960)
  • "Johnny Casanova" (1956)
  • "Just Love Me" (1956)
  • "Longest Walk" (1955)
  • "Lost In The Shuffle" (1956)
  • "Miss You" (backed with "Are You Lonesome Tonight") (1959)
  • "Mutual Admiration Society" (duet with Eddy Arnold) (1956)
  • "Not One Goodbye" (1955)
  • "Pepperhot Baby" (Also a hit for Gisele MacKenzie) 1955)
  • "Play For Keeps" (1956)
  • "Sweet Lips" (1956)
  • "That's All I Want From You" (1954)
  • "Two Lost Souls" (backed with "Chee Chee Oo Chee", duet with Perry Como) (1955)

References

  1. ^ Jaye P. Morgan.. The Gong Show (clip). [Television Production]. Chuck Barris. 

External links


 
 
Learn More
The Jaye P. Morgan Story (1997 Album by Jaye P. Morgan)
Jaye P. Morgan on RCA (1997 Album by Jaye P. Morgan)
Cooking with Beefcake Too (Leisure Arts Film)

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Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jaye P. Morgan" Read more

 

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