Carey Morgan
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Carey Elmore Morgan Jr. (1884–1960) was an American composer and
Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
producer during the 1900s. Throughout his career, he collaborated with various songwriters and performers including, L. Wolfe Gilbert, Charles McCarron, and Arthur Monday Swanstrom.


Early life

According to Indiana birth records, Morgan was born on December 25, 1884. His
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
draft registration would list his date of birth as December 25, 1885. Morgan was born in Brownsburg, Indiana to
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
minister Dr. Carey Elmore Morgan Sr. (1860–1925) and Ella May (Mai) Dailey (1865–?). He was the eldest child. His siblings were Walter Dailey (1886–1963) and Ruth (1892–1947). Due to his father's occupation, the family moved often. They lived in Indiana till late 1892 when Dr. Morgan was assigned to Portland Avenue Church of Christ in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
. In 1897, they returned to Indiana, but two years later they would move again. This time his father was assigned to serve at a church in
Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
. In 1903, the family relocated to
Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and the county seat. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. It is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2020, it ha ...
. Morgan's name is listed in the
Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig or KSig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international Fraternities and sororities in North America, fr ...
fraternity book of addresses. He attended
Kentucky University The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...
.


Career

In April 1904, Morgan moved back to Richmond, where he began a job as either a typewriter or salesman. In September 1907, he moved to
Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...
, where he worked as a representative of
Oliver Typewriter Company The Oliver Typewriter Company was an American typewriter manufacturer headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The Oliver Typewriter was one of the first "visible print" typewriters, meaning text was visible to the typist as it was entered. Oliver ...
. By 1910, he had returned to Paris, Kentucky, to live with his parents. He took job as a commercial traveler for wholesale shows, but soon moved to
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
for another job. The following year, Morgan was living in Manhattan, New York with his younger brother Walter. Morgan began his songwriting career with him in 1913. Their song, "On a Rainy Day", was performed by Vaudeville actor Harry Puck. This connected Carey to the publishing house of Joseph W. Stern, whom he would later write songs for. In this same year, the Morgan brothers had three songs published in New York. Their song, "The Brazilian" was featured by
Vernon and Irene Castle Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and in silent films in the early 20th century. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. Castle was a s ...
, and gained popularity due to the trend of
Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
songs at the time. From 1914 to 1915, Morgan composed a handful of successful songs: "Florence Maxixe", "Dicty Doo", and "Trilby Rag". Many of his songs released at this time were forgotten. At this time, Morgan worked in Manhattan as a type salesman. Between 1916 and 1917, Morgan collaborated with L.Wolfe Gilbert. The two wrote many songs together including, "Hawaiian Sunshine", "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula", "My Own Iona", and "I've Got the Army Blues". He also worked with Charles R. McCarron from 1918 to 1919. The two would write the popular song, "I'm Glad I Can Make You Cry". Perhaps his most successful partnership was with vaudevillian Arthur Swanstrom. They would go on to write and produce vaudeville sketches together. Their collaboration began in 1913, but it was not until 1917 when they would prove to be a popular duo. Morgan usually played the piano or conducted the orchestra while Swanstrom sang. Their tune, " Broadway Blues", was introduced in 1918 but didn't become a hit song until 1920. Their "Dance Duet", starring
Irene Franklin Irene Franklin (June 13, 1885 – June 16, 1941) was an American actress of stage and screen, vaudeville comedian, and singer. Biography Irene Franklin was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, in 1885. While many sources have suggested her birth year ...
made its debut in 1920, but was poorly received. Fortunately, their musical comedy, "The Greenwich Village Follies", earned positive reviews. This led the two to focus more on producing shows than writing songs. Over the following years Swanstrom and Morgan would produce the revues, "Figure It Out" (1922), "Her Personal Appearance" (1923), and "Sadie - One of Those Girls" (1923). Their next major hit came in 1924 with "Honeymoon Cruise", starring Bennie Fields and Blossom Seely. It was produced by
Ned Wayburn Ned Wayburn ''(né'' Edward Claudius Weyburn; 30 March 1874 – 2 September 1942) was an American choreographer. Career Edward Claudius Weyburn was born on March 30, 1874 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Elbert Delos Weyburn and his wife, Harri ...
and ran at the
Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...
. Their final collaboration was in 1928 with the "Lone Dancer". Two of Morgan's songs, "Oh, Helen!" and "Sipping Cider thru a Straw", were endorsed by actor
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel ...
. The comedian's face was featured on the sheet music cover for "Oh, Helen!" and their song was associated with one of his films. Morgan enlisted in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
during World War I and was stationed in France. From then on, he was credited with U.S.N. after his name as seen inside the sheet music for "Oh, Helen!". His title was Chief
Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...
. By 1925, Morgan was an employee of L.B. Typewriter Company of New York. In 1930, he took a job with the
Royal Typewriter Company Royal Consumer Information Products, Inc. (formerly The Royal Typewriter Company) is an American technology company founded in January 1904 as a manufacturer of typewriters. Royal’s product line has evolved to include cash registers, shredders, ...
, where his brother worked. Songwriter
Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser ( "lesser"; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls (musical), Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business ...
credited Morgan as being an influence on his career; specifically Morgan's "low-brow appreciation of high-brow art", which unleashed Loesser's talent. He became known for being a "high-brow writer of low-brow songs". Loesser wrote the popular
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
song, "
Baby, It's Cold Outside "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a popular song written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and popularized in the 1949 film '' Neptune's Daughter''. While the lyrics make no mention of a holiday, it is commonly regarded as a Christmas song owing to its winter ...
".


Personal life

In 1918, Morgan married singer and actress, Madeline Florence Fliege in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. This was where Morgan was stationed during World War I. His parents traveled to France to attend the wedding. The couple had two children: Madeline Carey (1920–1996) and Carylin (1927–?). The 1920 census showed Morgan living in
New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...
, with his wife and brother-in-law, Harold. Census records listed the couple as living separately in 1940 and 1942. Morgan listed his home address in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, and his wife's address in
Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decr ...
. The two would remain married, but separated till Morgan's death. Morgan died on either January 5 or 6, 1960, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His cause of death was congestive
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
. He is buried at Hamilton Cemetery in
Neptune Township, New Jersey Neptune Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 28,061, an increase of 126 (+0.5%) from t ...
.


Selected works

*" Sipping Cider Thru' a Straw". (1919). with Lee David. Joseph W. Stern & Co. *"
The Other Day I Met a Bear "The Other Day I Met a Bear" (also known as "The Bear in the Forest" or "Bear in Tennis Shoes") is a traditional American camp song, sung as an echo song. It uses the same tune that is also used for " Princess Pat" and " Sippin' Cider Through a S ...
". (1919). with Lee David. *" Our Country's in It Now! (We've Got to Win It Now)". (1918). with Arthur Guy Empey and Charles R. McCarron. Joseph W. Stern & Co. *"
Bugle Call Rag "Bugle Call Rag", also known as "Bugle Call Blues", is a jazz standard written by Jack Pettis, Billy Meyers and Elmer Schoebel. It was first recorded by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings in 1922 as "Bugle Call Blues", although later renditions as well ...
". with
Eubie Blake James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. Blake began his career in 1912, and during World War I he worked in partnership with the singer, drum ...
.


References


External links


Featured in ''Billboard'', Volume 29
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Carey Elmore Jr. 1884 births 1960 deaths American composers