Joe Morris
Joseph Lee Morris (March 2, 1922 – November 7, 1958) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Morris began his career as a jazz trumpeter, working and recording with Earl Bostic, Milt Buckner, Arnett Cobb, Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Griffin, Buddy Rich, Dinah Washington, Big Joe Turner, and Lionel Hampton. After working with Hampton as a writer, arranger, and trumpeter, he left in 1946 to set up the Joe Morris Orchestra, which featured, among others, Johnny Griffin, Elmo Hope, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, Long John Hobbs, and Hasaan Ibn Ali (then known as William Langford). One of his first credited recordings as bandleader was with Wynonie Harris on "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee". Morris signed with the then fledgling Boston Records, and released "Anytime, Any Place, Anywhere", with vocals by Laurie Tate. This rose to number one on the U.S. R&B chart in 1950, and he followed up with "Don't Take Your Love Away from Me". The band functioned as the unofficial house band for Atlantic Records in the early 1950s, and several future stars passed through its ranks, including Ray Charles and Lowell Fulson. In 1953, Tate left for a solo career, and Morris replaced her with his new discovery, Faye Adams. He moved to Herald Records, where he backed Adams on her number-one R&B hit, his own composition "Shake a Hand", and its follow-up, "I'll Be True", also an R&B number-one hit. At the same time, he had his own hit with "I Had a Notion", featuring vocals by Al Savage. Morris died in Phoenix, Arizona, of a cerebral haemorrhage in 1958, aged 36. |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 2, 1922 (Montgomery), Died November 7, 1958 (Phoenix)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1944 - 1963
Roles Represented in DAHR: trumpet, vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 36 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | 71825 | 10-in. | 3/2/1944 | Loose wig | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 71826 | 10-in. | 3/2/1944 | Chop chop | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 71827 | 10-in. | 3/2/1944 | Flying home No.2 | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 71828 | 10-in. | 3/2/1944 | Hamp's boogie woogie | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 72875 | 10-in. | 5/21/1945 | Someday | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 72876 | 10-in. | 5/21/1945 | Beulah's boogie | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 72881 | 10-in. | 5/21/1945 | Playboy | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 72882 | 10-in. | 5/21/1945 | Punch and Judy | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 73287 | 1/21/1946 | Pinetop's boogie woogie-1 | Bing Crosby | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73288 | 1/21/1946 | On the sunny side of the street-2 | Bing Crosby | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73324 | 1/29/1946 | Rockin' in rhythm, part 1 | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73325 | 1/29/1946 | Rockin' in rhythm, part 2 | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73326 | 1/29/1946 | Gay notes | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73327 | 1/29/1946 | Tempo's birthday | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73332 | 1/31/1946 | Cobb's idea | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73333 | 1/31/1946 | Air mail special, part 1 | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73334 | 1/31/1946 | Air Mail special, part 2 | Lionel Hampton Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73882 | 4/23/1947 | Boogie woogie blue plate | Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73883 | 4/23/1947 | Barnyard boogie | Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73884 | 4/23/1947 | Every man to his own profession | Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73885 | 4/23/1947 | Early in the mornin' | Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 73886 | 4/23/1947 | Run Joe | Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 75456 | 10/28/1949 | The rabbit's hop | Joe Morris Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet | |||
Decca | 75457 | 10/28/1949 | Sneaking around | Joe Morris Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet, vocalist | |||
Decca | 75458 | 10/28/1949 | Portia's boogie | Joe Morris Orchestra | instrumentalist, trumpet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Morris, Joe," accessed August 12, 2022, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110292.
Morris, Joe. (2022). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved August 12, 2022, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110292.
"Morris, Joe." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2022. Web. 12 August 2022.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Morris, Joe, 1922-1958 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no96034691
Wikidata: Joe Morris (trumpeter) - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1691548
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/44502423
MusicBrainz: Joe Morris - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1194288a-56df-4a2a-bec0-5d449f3d8214
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