Sunday, 3 May 2026

Jane Morgan born 3 May 1924


 Florence Catherine Currier (May 3, 1924 – August 4, 2025), known professionally as Jane Morgan, was an American singer and recording artist of traditional pop. 

Morgan initially found success in France and the UK before achieving recognition in the US, receiving six gold records. She was a frequent nightclub and Broadway performer, and also appeared numerous times on American television, both as a singer and as a dramatic performer. Morgan performed for French President Charles de Gaulle, and for five U.S. Presidents: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush. She toured with Jack Benny and John Raitt, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry; two of her RCA singles hit the Billboard country charts in 1970.

Morgan was born in Newton, Massachusetts, on May 3, 1924. She was one of five children born to musicians Olga (Brandenburg) and Bertram Currier. At five she began vocal lessons while continuing piano lessons. During the summers, she took on child roles and appeared in theatre productions at the Kennebunkport Playhouse in Kennebunkport, Maine, which her brother, Robert Currier, had founded. In 1941, she was the Treasurer of the Kennebunkport Playhouse. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, she was accepted into New York's Juilliard School of Music. Intending to become an opera singer, she studied opera by day and performed whenever possible.

Morgan sang popular songs in nightclubs and small restaurants, and at bar mitzvahs and other private parties, to help pay her tuition expenses at Juilliard. Orchestra leader Art Mooney changed her name to Jane Morgan by taking the first name of one of his vocalists, Janie Ford, and the last name of another, Marian Morgan. In 1948, French impresario Bernard Hilda selected her to accompany him to Paris. Morgan became a sensation in Paris. Many French songwriters, including Charles Trenet, frequented the club, and they wrote several songs that became hit recordings for Morgan. Morgan and Hilda soon opened a new weekly hour-long television show and she began recording in 1949 on the French Polydor label as well as Parlophone, Philips, and others. 

                                       

She returned to Europe in 1954 to appear in a London West End review with comedian Vic Oliver, and later at the Savoy Theatre and London Palladium. Morgan left her agent and began singing at Lou Walters' Latin Quarter in New York. Walters kept Morgan at the Latin Quarter for a year, when she was noticed by Dave Kapp, who had recently founded a new recording label, Kapp Records. Kapp signed Morgan to a recording contract, and near that same period he signed pianist Roger Williams.

To counter her reputation as a French singer, Kapp had Morgan record "Baseball, Baseball", and her first album release was titled The American Girl from Paris. She recorded several additional albums and soon was paired with Williams, who had gained national acceptance with his recording of "Autumn Leaves". They recorded "Two Different Worlds", which gave Morgan her first significant airplay on US radio. In 1957 Kapp brought The Troubadors, a virtually unknown group of five musicians, to his studio. They had appeared in Love in the Afternoon. Kapp asked Morgan to join The Troubadors and sing "Fascination". 

Although written in 1904 by F. D. Marchetti as "Valse Tzigane", the song was modified in Paris at the Folies Bergère as a "strip" number. With English lyrics added by Dick Manning in 1932, it had been played throughout the 1957 movie (the French lyric had been created in 1942). Her recording was released in late 1957 and remained on the charts for 29 weeks. In 1958, Kapp released "The Day the Rains Came" (a French song by Gilbert Bécaud called "Le jour où la pluie viendra") with Morgan singing in English on one side and in French on the other. It reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in early 1959. She was featured on the 10 November 1959, jazz special, Timex-All-Star Jazz III.In 1960, she recorded the English-language version of an Italian song, Romantica.

Her early television credits include The Victor Borge Show, The Colgate Comedy Hour, Cavalcade of Stars, The Jack Benny Program, The Jimmy Dean Show, The Jonathan Winters Show, The Mike Douglas Show, and The Hollywood Palace, as well as more than fifty appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Morgan performed in musicals on the stage and Broadway. She appeared in Can-Can, The King and I, Kiss Me, Kate, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Bells Are Ringing, Anniversary Waltz, Affairs of State, Hello, Dolly and others. Morgan's agent died in 1959 and her new manager, Jerry Weintraub, was able to obtain bookings for her in many noted US venues. 

Morgan divorced Larry Stith in 1964 and married Weintraub, more than a decade her junior, in 1965; the couple later adopted three daughters. Morgan also had a stepson Michael from Weintraub's first marriage. After Morgan performed on Broadway, she said, "Being on Broadway was one of the most exciting things in my life because I had always dreamed of it". Morgan's two final albums were for RCA Records: her last LP, Jane Morgan in Nashville, yielded two moderate hits on the country music charts, including her answer to Johnny Cash's song, "A Boy Named Sue", titled "A Girl Named Johnny Cash" (written by comic Martin Mull). She performed the song on Cash's eponymous television series in early 1971.

The only other time Morgan had recorded without formal arrangements was on her hit single, "Fascination"; nevertheless, she was reportedly dubbed "The Countryest Girl in Nashville" by the crew. She retired from performing in 1973, but appeared occasionally over the years at special events and benefits. She worked as a production assistant to her husband (producer Jerry Weintraub) on films including the remake of Ocean's Eleven. On December 10, 2009, Morgan performed at the UNICEF Ball honouring her husband, Jerry Weintraub, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, singing "Ten Cents a Dance" and "Big Spender". Known as Jane Weintraub, she divides her time between Malibu, California, Palm Springs, California and Kennebunkport, Maine. She owned Blueberry Hill Farm in Kennebunkport, Maine from 1958. On May 6, 2011, Morgan received the 2,439th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Morgan and Weintraub separated in the 1980s, but never divorced. Weintraub died in 2015.

Morgan's collection of her unique performance gowns spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s were exhibited to the public for the first time, premiering at the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, Maine, in February 2022. Morgan celebrated her 100th birthday on May 3, 2024. She died at her home in Naples, Florida, on August 4, 2025, at the age of 101.

7 comments:

boppinbob said...

For "Jane Morgan: The Day the Rains Came (2017)" go here:

https://pixeldrain.com/u/F8E9gQvz

01 – The Day the Rains Came
02 – Two Different Worlds
03 – Fascination
04 – It’s Not for Me to Say
05 – Speak Low
06 – It’s Been a Long, Long Time
07 – Melodie D’amour
08 – All the Way
09 – April Love
10 – Arrivederci Roma
11 – Anna
12 – Baubles, Bangles and Beads
13 – Come Closer to Me
14 – Everybody Loves a Lover
15 – It’s All in the Game
16 – Volare
17 – The Moon Was Yellow
18 – Adios
19 – Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
20 – Perfidia
21 – You Belong to My Heart
22 – Baia
23 – Granada
24 – I Get Ideas
25 – Be Mine Tonight
26 – What a Difference a Day Made
27 – Let Me Love You Tonight
28 – Magic Is the Moonlight
29 – The Ballad of Lady Jane
30 – The Riddle Song
31 – Turtle Dove
32 – Molly Malone
33 – Ten Thousand Miles
34 – Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
35 – Scarlet Ribbons
36 – Cotton-Eyed Joe
37 – The Foggy, Foggy Dew
38 – I Know Where I’m Going
39 – Come, All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies
40 – Greensleeves
41 – If Only I Could Live My Life Again
42 – With Open Arms
43 – Romantica
44 – They Didn’t Believe Me
45 – I Could Have Danced All Night
46 – How Are Things in Glocca Morra?
47 – Just in Time
48 – Hey, There!
49 – The Sound of Music
50 – My Foolish Heart
51 – The Second Time Around
52 – Odyssey
53 – Tammy
54 – Blue Hawaii
55 – What Now, My Love?
56 – Waiting for Charley to Come Home
57 – Le Jou Ou La Pluie Viendra (The Day the Rains Came)


For "Jane Morgan - Collection 1946 - 1962" go here:

https://pixeldrain.com/u/VURnvooH

CD1
01 - Hey! Ba-Ba Re Bop.mp3
02 - Les Temps Qu'une Hirondelle.mp3
03 - Cement Mixer (Put-Ti, Put-Ti).mp3
04 - C'est Tout.mp3
05 - Les Feuilles Mortes.mp3
06 - Comme On Est Bien Dans Tes Bras.mp3
07 - Woody Woodpecker.mp3
08 - April In Portugal.mp3
09 - Say You're Mine Again.mp3
10 - Eyes Of Blue.mp3
11 - Baseball, Baseball.mp3
12 - Fair Weather Friends.mp3
13 - Why (Are There Things We Can't Explain_).mp3
14 - Why Don't They Leave Us Alone.mp3
15 - Flyin' High.mp3
16 - Give Me Your Word.mp3
17 - In Paree.mp3
18 - Let's Go Steady.mp3
19 - Midnight Blues.mp3
20 - La Ronde.mp3
21 - Two Different Worlds.mp3
22 - From The First Hello To Our Last Goodbye.mp3
23 - Come Home Come Home Come Home.mp3
24 - It's Not For Me To Say.mp3
25 - Around The World In Eighty Days.mp3
26 - Fascination.mp3
27 - I'm New At The Game Of Romance.mp3

CD2
01 - I've Got Bells In On My Heart.mp3
02 - Enchanted Island.mp3
03 - The Day The Rains Came.mp3
04 - Le Jour Ou La Pluie Viendra (Sung in French).mp3
05 - I May Never Pass This Way Again.mp3
06 - You'll Never Walk Alone.mp3
07 - If Only I Could Live My Life Again.mp3
08 - To Love And Be Loved.mp3
09 - Love Is Like Champagne (Mon Manege A Moi).mp3
10 - With Open Arms.mp3
11 - I Can't Begin To Tell You.mp3
12 - I'm In Love.mp3
13 - Happy Anniversary.mp3
14 - C'est La Vie C'est L'Amour.mp3
15 - My Love Doesn't Love Me At All (Ballad Of Lady Jane).mp3
16 - The Bells Of St. Mary's.mp3
17 - Romantica.mp3
18 - Lord And Master.mp3
19 - Somebody.mp3
20 - The Angry Sea.mp3
21 - In Jerusalem.mp3
22 - Love Makes The World Go Round (Theme From 'Carnival').mp3
23 - It Takes Love.mp3
24 - Moon River.mp3
25 - What Now My Love.mp3
26 - Forever My Love.mp3
27 - Waiting For Charley To Come Home.mp3

boppinbob said...

For "Jane Morgan - Essential Classics, Vol. 304 (2024)" go here:

https://pixeldrain.com/u/jEMDs8PN

1. Fascination (2024 Remastered) (2:23)
2. If Only I Could Live My Life Again (2024 Remastered) (2:00)
3. Romantica (2024 Remastered) (3:01)
4. My Foolish Heart (2024 Remastered) (2:52)
5. C'est La Vie, C'est L'amour (2024 Remastered) (3:00)
6. The Day The Rains Came (2024 Remastered) (2:58)
7. Happy Anniversary (2024 Remastered) (2:28)
8. Fascination (Alternate Version) (2024 Remastered) (2:24)
9. Midnight Blues (2024 Remastered) (2:53)
10. Climb Every Mountain (2024 Remastered) (3:01)

1. The Moon Was Yellow (El Amor Liamo) (2024 Remastered) (3:13)
2. It's Been A Long, Long Time (2024 Remastered) (2:31)
3. It's Not For Me To Say (2024 Remastered) (2:58)
4. Around The World In Eighty Days (2024 Remastered) (2:15)
5. Moon River (2024 Remastered) (2:38)
6. Enchanted Island (2024 Remastered) (2:47)
7. Fantasia Española (Granada) (2024 Remastered) (3:19)
8. Give Me Your Word (2024 Remastered) (2:24)
9. I Get Ideas (Adios Muchachos) (2024 Remastered) (2:16)
10. Two Different Worlds (2024 Remastered) (3:09)

Thanks to Denis for suggesting today's birthday singer.

Buster said...

Thanks, Bob - nice tribute to a fine singer.

T.G. said...

Thanks a lot!

Don Dan said...

Hello Bob,
You posted a lot of tracks. I can't check each one.
If some of those albums interest you, I'll upload them.

MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1957 FASCINATION
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1958 JANE MORGAN
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1958 SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, BLUE
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1958 THE DAY THE RAINS CAME
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1959 JANE IN SPAIN
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1959 JANE MORGAN TIME
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1960 THE BALLADS OF LADY JANE (Kapp)
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1961 ALL THE WAY
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1961 LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1961 THE SECOND TIME AROUND
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1962 What Now My Love
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1963 SERENADES _THE VICTORS_
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1964 THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1965 IN MY STYLE
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1966 FRESH FLAVOR
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1968 A JANE MORGAN HAPPENING
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1968 IN GOLD
MORGAN Jane (1924- ) 1969 TRACES OF LOVE

Have fun !

Don Dan
https://www.youtube.com/c/DonDanMusicChannel

boppinbob said...

Hello DD, Thanks for the offer. At least I know where to go if I need any of the above albums listed. Best wishes, Regards, Bob

Helmut Knochen said...

Don, A very generous offer. Would love to hear them. She had the misfortune of doing her best work during the rock era.