Maria Grazia Morgana Messina (June 4, 1930 – March 22, 2018), known as Morgana King, was an American jazz singer and actress.Liner notes by Joel Dorn – Morgana King album ''The Complete Reprise Recordings'' (2000).Liner notes by Ed Osborne – Morgana King re-issue album ''It's A Quite Thing'' (2006).''Beverly Kenny Sings For Johnny Smith''
Toshiba EMI Japan 1955
song "Moe's Blues", track listing 11. She began a professional singing career at sixteen years old. In her twenties, she was singing at a

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

nightclub when she was recognized for her unique phrasing and

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

, described as a four-octave

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

range. She was signed to a label and began recording solo albums. She recorded dozens of albums well into the late 1990s. King had her debut and breakout role in film as

Carmela Corleone Carmela Corleone (1897–1959) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather.'' Carmela is portrayed by Italian-American Morgana King in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film adaptation of the novel, and in ''The Godfather Par ...

in ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...

'' (1972) and ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...

'' (1974).Nichols, Peter M
''The New York Times Guide to the Best 1000 Movies Ever Made''
(2004), p. 390; Maltin, Leonar
''Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide''
(2008), p. 530; She had roles in three additional films including her last performance in ''

A Brooklyn State of Mind ''A Brooklyn State of Mind'' is a 1997 American crime drama film written and directed by Frank Rainone. Cast * Vincent Spano: Al Stanco * Maria Grazia Cucinotta: Gabriela * Danny Aiello: Danny Parente * Abe Vigoda: Uncle Guy * Rick Aiello: ...

'' in 1997. She was twice married to fellow jazz musicians, first to

Tony Fruscella Tony Fruscella (February 4, 1927 – August 14, 1969) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography Tony Fruscella and his sister Maria, grew up in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York. He played in an United States Army, Army band early in his ...

and later to

Willie Dennis Willie Dennis (née William DeBerardinis, January 10, 1926 – July 8, 1965) was an American jazz trombonist known as a big band musician but who was also an excellent bebop soloist. Career After working with Elliot Lawrence, Claude Thor ...

. Morgana died on March 22, 2018, in

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Early life

King was born Maria Grazia Morgana Messina in

Pleasantville, New York Pleasantville is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located 30 miles north of Manhattan. The village population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. Pleasantville is home to the secondary camp ...

. Her parents were from

Fiumefreddo di Sicilia Fiumefreddo di Sicilia (; scn, Ciumifriddu) is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania on the coast of the Ionian Sea on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. It shares its borders with the municipalities of Calatabiano to the north, Ma ...

Province of Catania The Province of Catania ( it, Provincia di Catania; scn, Pruvincia di Catania) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in southern Italy. Its capital was the city of Catania. It had an area of and a total population of about 1, ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

.Vernon Scott (May 3, 1971)
Singer in 'Godfather' Role.
''The Deseret News'' She grew up in New York City with five siblings.Morgana King's Songs Offer Relief.
Chicago Sun-Times, November 13, 1992, p. 19, Weekend Plus Her father, who owned a coal and ice business, played the piano and guitar by ear."Morgana King Charms Her Audience With Style."
''New York Times'', January 20, 1970 Her family experienced a difficult financial period after her father died. Around the age of thirteen her vocal gifts were recognized when she was overheard singing the aria "

I'll See You Again "I'll See You Again" is a song by the English songwriter Sir Noël Coward. It originated in Coward's 1929 operetta ''Bitter Sweet'', but soon became established as a standard in its own right and remains one of Coward's best-known compositions. ...

" from

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's operetta '' Bitter Sweet''. At age 16 she developed a love for

big bands A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

. A scholarship to the Metropolitan School of Music soon followed.

Singing debut

Her professional singing career began at age sixteen as Morgana King.JAZZ: Morgana King
''New York Times'' September 2, 1985 When she sang in a

nightclub in 1953, a record label executive took an interest after being impressed with the unique phrasing and multi-octave range. Three years later in 1956, her first album, ''For You, For Me, For Evermore'', was released.

Film debut

In the first appearance of Leonard G. Feather's ''Encyclopedia of Jazz'' (1960), Morgana King stated that her ambition was "… to become a dramatic actress." She began her acting career in ''

'', directed by

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

, as

, wife of

Don Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfather ...

. In the film, she sang the song " Luna mezzo mare". King appeared as herself in the television documentary ''The Godfather: Behind the Scenes'' (1971). She reprised the role in ''

'' (1974), where her character dies aged 62, due to natural causes.

Career

Singing

King headlined clubs, concert halls and hotels, and toured throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and South America; e.g.: Basin Street; bla-bla café; Blue Note;Stephen Holden, (January 30, 1987)
"Morgana King, the Blue Note"
''New York Times'' Blue Room at the Supper Club;Stephen Holden, (March 5, 1993)

''New York Times'' Café Leon; Club Bali; Cotton Club;"Cotton Club… Morgana King" by Lynn Voedisch. ''Chicago Sun-Times'', October 30, 1992Lloyd Sachs (June 10, 1992)
"… jazz vocalist, Morgana King, will perform at the Cotton Cotton."
''Chicago Sun-Times''. Fat Tuesday's;
''The New York Times'', February 14, 1986 Jilly's; Joe Howard's Place; Kenny's Castaways;Morgana King, Kenny's Castaways
''The New York Times'', March 24, 1974
/ref> Lainie's Room;Morgana King—Lainie's Room
''The New York Times'', April 9, 1978
Arts and Leisure Guide Les Mouches;Morgana King, singer at Les Mouches
''The New York Times'', May 13, 1979
Arts and Leisure Guide Lush Life;
''The New York Times'', March 29, 1982 Mr. Sam's;Stephen Holden (July 4, 1986)

''The New York Times'' Rainbow Grill;Dramatic Singing by Morgana King
''The New York Times'', January 26, 1972
Review Reno Sweeney; Scullers;"A Feast For Boston's Jazz Fans." by Fernando Gonzalez, ''The Boston Globe'', April 13, 1990 Sniffen Court;Morgana King's instrumental group
''The New York Times'', July 8, 1963
/ref> Sweet Basil;Going Out Guide
''The New York Times'', December 20, 1980
Farther Downtown The Metropole;"Morgana King, jazz singer, at The Metropole.
''The New York Times'', March 17, 1967
Cabaret Tonight.

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

;"Jazz Ensembles Sound Seasonal Note With an Easter Festival at Town Hall.
''The New York Times'', March 31, 1956.
/ref> the Waterbury Hotels;Waterbury hotels

Connecticut Guide. and

Trude Heller's Trude Heller's was a club in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City and located at 6th Avenue and West 9th Street and operated from the early 1960s to the early 1980s. It has been described as the only truly “in” spot in Greenwich Villa ...

.Morgana King… Trude Heller's
''The New York Times'', July 5, 1977 and July 10, 1977
Going Out Guide, Arts and Leisure Guide A few of the venue performances during her active career: the March 1956 ''Easter Jazz Festival'' at Town Hall in New York City; she opened Trude Heller's in July 1957 and returned throughout her career for anniversary performances; four months later, in November 1957, along with seven female jazz instrumentalists, she performed at the ''Jazz Female concert'' held a
Carnegie Recital Hall
Women Offer Jazz Concert
New York Times, November 30, 1957
/ref> the ''

Schaefer Music Festival The Schaefer Music Festival in Central Park was a recurring music festival held in the summer between 1967 and 1976 at Wollman Rink in New York City's Central Park. It featured a number of notable performances. The sponsorship was taken over by D ...

'' in June 1976;"Schaefer Festival Opens On June 14 With Mancini.
''The New York Times'', May 25, 1976
/ref> ''A Tribute to Billie Holiday'' at th
Hollywood Bowl
in July 1979; the ''AIDS Research – Benefit Bash'' in 1983, the ''Benefit for the Theater Off Park'' in May 1988;Robert E. Tomasson (May 22, 1988

''New York Times'' the ''2nd annual WPBX Jazz Festival'' at the Fine Arts Theater in August 1989.
''The New York Times'', July 30, 1989 Anniversary Fair. While performing in

Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, she was interviewed by the television show host

Henrique Mendes Henrique Mendes (January 2, 1931 – July 8, 2004) was a Portuguese television presenter and actor, he is best known for hosting several editions of Festival da Canção. Mendes joint Rádio Renascença in 1950 as a radio announcer and in 1958 he ...

at the television station RTP (the sole television station at that time)."

Musicians

A limited list of artists who performed and/or recorded with Morgana King over the years of her career are Ben Aronov,

Ronnie Bedford Ronnie Bedford (June 2, 1931 – December 20, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and professor. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bedford was one of the founders of the Yellowstone Jazz Festival held annually in Cody, Wyoming, and was the recipi ...

, Ed Caccavale (drums),

Clifford Carter Clifford Carter (born August 10, 1952) is an American keyboardist, musical director, composer and arranger. He has sometimes been credited as "Cliff Carter". Carter is known for his performances with such artists as James Taylor,Bruce Springstee ...

Don Costa Dominick P. "Don" Costa (June 10, 1925 – January 19, 1983) was an American conductor and record producer. He discovered singer Paul Anka and worked on several hit albums by Frank Sinatra, including ''Sinatra and Strings'' and '' My Way''. ...

Eddie Daniels Eddie Daniels (born October 19, 1941) is an American musician and composer. Although he is best known as a jazz clarinetist, he has also played saxophone and flute as well as classical music on clarinet. Early life, family and education Daniel ...

Sue Evans Sue Evans (born July 7, 1951) is an American jazz, pop, classical, and studio percussionist and drummer. Career She was born in New York, New York, United States. Evans played piano, violin and clarinet as a young child before switching to drums ...

Larry Fallon Larry Fallon (born Lawrence James Freaso; September 8, 1936 – June 2, 2005) was an American composer, arranger and record producer. Career Fallon's arranger credits include Van Morrison's ''Astral Weeks'', Nico's '' Chelsea Girl'', Jimmy Cl ...

Sammy Figueroa Sammy Figueroa (born November 16, 1948, The Bronx, New York) is an American percussionist. At 18 he joined the band of bassist Bobby Valentín and also co-led the Brazilian/Latin fusion group Raíces. Selected Discography Steve LaSpina Steven Frank LaSpina (born March 24, 1954) is an American jazz bassist who plays both upright and electric bass. Life and career Steve LaSpina was born in Wichita Falls, Texas; his father and grandfather both played in dance bands. He attended the ...

, Scott Lee,

Jay Leonhart Jay Leonhart (born December 6, 1940) is a double bassist, singer, and songwriter who has worked in jazz and popular music. He has performed with Judy Garland, Bucky Pizzarelli, Carly Simon, Frank Sinatra, and Sting. Leonhart is noted for his cl ...

Ray Mantilla Raymond Mantilla (June 22, 1934 – March 21, 2020) was an American percussionist. Discography As leader * ''Mantilla'' (Inner City, 1978) * ''Hands of Fire'' (Red, 1984) * ''Synergy'' (Red, 1986) * ''Dark Powers'' (Red, 1988) * ''The Next Step ...

Bill Mays William Allen Mays (born February 5, 1944), known professionally as Bill Mays, is an American jazz pianist from Sacramento, California. Biography Mays came from a musical family and at the age of 15 became interested in jazz at an Earl Hines ...

, Charles McCracken, Ted Nash,

Adam Nussbaum Adam Nussbaum (born November 29, 1955) is an American jazz drummer. Early life Nussbaum was born in New York City on November 29, 1955. He grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut, and first played the drums at the age of four. After five years of piano ...

, Warren Odze,

Joe Puma Joe Puma (August 13, 1927 – May 31, 2000) was an American jazz guitarist. Puma was born in the Bronx, New York. His first professional experience came with Joe Roland in 1949–50. He played in the band led by Cy Coleman. He acted as a sessio ...

, Don Rebic,

Jack Wilkins Jack Rivers Lewis (born June 4, 1944), known professionally as Jack Wilkins, is a jazz guitarist. Career A native of New York City, Wilkins grew up listening to his parents' music, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Billie Holiday. He ...

, Joe Williams (bass), and Torrie Zito.Morgana King at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

/ref>Morgana King a
Amazon.com
/ref>Morgana King a
MTV
/ref>Morgana King a
Yahoo! Music
/ref>

Recording

Her repertoire contains more than two hundred songs on more than thirty albums. Most of her recordings and re-issues have not remained in the catalogs. In 1964, she received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for Best New Artist. The award went to

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. The UCLA Music Library's

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and care ...

papers include
letter
dated September 5, 1965 pertaining to "songs… to be given to Morgana King." She recorded three songs by Van Heusen: "

Here's That Rainy Day "Here's That Rainy Day" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke that was published in 1953. It was introduced by Dolores Gray in the Broadway musical '' Carnival in Flanders''. Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra ...

" (on '' It's a Quiet Thing'', 1965), "

Like Someone in Love "Like Someone in Love" is a popular song composed in 1944 by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was written (along with "Sleigh Ride in July") for the 1944 film, ''Belle of the Yukon'', where it was sung by Dinah Shore. It was a hi ...

" (on ''Stardust'', 1986; and ''Another Time, Another Space'', 1992) and "

Imagination Imagination is the production or simulation of novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. Stefan Szczelkun characterises it as the forming of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations ...

" (on ''Looking Through The Eyes Of Love'', 1998). King's 1967 single "I Have Loved Me A Man" appeared in the US "Easy Listening" survey and the Australian Top 20, according to the Kent Music Report.

Television

Beginning with ''

The Andy Williams Show ''The Andy Williams Show'' was an American television variety show that ran from 1962 to 1971 (alternating during the summer of 1970 with ''Andy Williams Presents Ray Stevens'')Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time N ...

'' and ''

The Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it was seen Monday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Title ...

'' in 1964. For more than a decade she performed on television talk and variety shows including ''

The Mike Douglas Show ''The Mike Douglas Show'' was an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went into nati ...

'', ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'', not to be confused with the ''Dean Martin Variety Show'' (1959–1960), is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the s ...

'' and ''The

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...

Show''.Morgana King a
TV.com
/ref>

Retirement

King announced her retirement from performing during an engagement at the Cotton Club in Chicago on Friday, December 10, 1993, and added that her recording would not be affected by the decision.Lloyd Sachs (December 13, 1993)
"Morgana King Says Show Was Her Last"
''Chicago Sun-Times'' She continued to perform after that date at the Ballroom,Stephen Holden (May 26, 1994)

''New York Times'' Maxim's,A Dearth of Song And Dance
''The Record''
September 18, 1997 by Bill Ervolino Mirage Night Club (a benefit jazz session),Bob Herbert (May 20, 1996

''New York Times'' and Roosevelt Hotel's Cinegrill.Don Heckman (June 6, 2000)
"Morgana King, Still Unique in Rare Appearance"
''Los Angeles Times''. Her last film appearance was in the film ''A Brooklyn State of Mind'' (1997).

Personal life

Relationships and family

Morgana King married twice. Her first marriage (when she was 17 years old) was to jazz trumpeter

(1927–1969), which ended in divorce after nine years; they had a daughter, Graysan (1950–2008).Liner Notes on ''I Just Can't Stop Loving You'' (1991). During their marriage, the couple frequently had "Sunday dinner with

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

and his family." Her second marriage, in 1961, was to jazz trombonist

(né William DeBerardinis; 1926–1965), whom she met during an off-night visit to the '' Birdland Jazz Club'' where she went to hear

Sam Donahue Samuel Koontz Donahue (March 18, 1918 – March 22, 1974) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, and musical arranger. He performed with Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Billy May, Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton. Biography Donahue ...

's group. He had performed with both

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

and

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

and recorded the 1953 album release, ''Four Trombones'' on Mingus' record label,

Debut Records Debut Records was an American jazz record company and label founded in 1952 by bassist Charles Mingus, his wife Celia, and drummer Max Roach. This short-lived label was an attempt to avoid the compromises of working for major companies. Intended ...

. He had toured extensively with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

and

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

. She traveled to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

with Dennis to experience this "new" music style when he toured with Rich in 1960. She said the experience was "an introduction to myself." Their close collaboration was suddenly shattered in 1965 with his death from an automobile accident in New York's

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

. ''It's a Quiet Thing'' (Reprise, 1965) is a memorial to him. After Dennis's death, King relocated and lived for more than two decades in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

. She accepted

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

's offer to record three albums on his record label

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

('' It's a Quiet Thing'' (1965), ''Wild Is Love'' (1966) and ''Gemini Changes'' (1967)).

Death

King owned a condo in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

. She died, aged 87, of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Palm Springs on March 22, 2018.

Influence

There have been reports that, as a child, King lived near a

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

and was intrigued by the singing of the cantor. Some have theorized that King's unique singing style was due, in part, to the singing of a cantor that she carried in her memories. King's voice is notable for its four-octave

range."… Remarkable, four-octave voice, has a distinctive and compelling vocal style…"
New York Times, May 18, 1973
by John RockwellStephen Holden (February 20, 1983)

'The New York Times''New York Magazine, December 24, 1973
p. 52 She continued to pursue new forms of expression and presentation by exploring current music trends, which can be heard and read from the list of songs and composers on more than thirty albums. She ventured into new creative areas throughout her career, all the while keeping contact with her musical point of origin in jazz. Her distinctive sound has its criticism and detractors.
"Electrified Sounds Blur Intimate Style Of Morgana King"
''New York Times'', November 3, 1974"Sentiment, and a Strong Sense of Challenge.
New York Times, October 17, 1965
/ref> In literature, the ''Library of Jazz Standards'' by Ronny Schiff (2002) recognizes Morgana King as one of the performers who made famous the songs "Imagination" (Van Heusen, Burke), "Like Someone in Love" (Van Heusen, Burke) and "Will You Be Mine" (Adair, Dennis). Also, there is the occasional mention of her in fiction.Monique Guillory, Richard C. Gree
''Soul: Black Power, Politics, and Pleasure''
(1997), p. 83; King has been credited with composing "Moe's Blues", a song recorded by

Beverly Kenney Beverly Kenney (January 29, 1932, Harrison, New Jersey – April 13, 1960, Greenwich Village, New York City) was an American jazz singer. Early life Kenney was born in Harrison, New Jersey on January 29, 1932, the second of Charles Joseph and ...

on ''Beverly Kenney Sings for Johnny Smith'' (1955), and "Simply Eloquent", with Monte Oliver, which appears on an album of the same title, initially released in 1986 by Muse Records. In 1991, she produced a set of seminars called ''Morgana King Fine Arts Series''. The seminars brought together small groups for recurring meetings every few months held at select venues including

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

. One of the functions of the series was to familiarize participants with performance methodologies. There was a panel available to critique the performances. Her signature song is "

A Taste Of Honey ''A Taste of Honey'' is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 19. It was intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and address social issues that ...

", originally released on the album ''With A Taste of Honey'' (Mainstream Records, 1964). Her most re-issued songs are "

My Funny Valentine "My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart coming of age musical ''Babes in Arms'' in which it was introduced by teenaged star Mitzi Green. The song became a popular jazz standard, appearing on over 130 ...

", from ''Everything Must Change'' (Muse, 1978), and the title track of ''

For You, For Me, For Evermore "For You, For Me, For Evermore" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Written around 1936-7, it was rediscovered by Ira Gershwin when he was preparing music for ''The Shocking Miss Pilgrim'' (1946), where it was intro ...

'' (EmArcy Records, 1956).

Discography

Filmography

Videography

Notes

* D'Acierno, Pellegrino
''The Italian American Heritage, A Companion to Literature and Arts''
(1998), p. 434; * Inman, David
''Television Variety Shows, Histories and Episode Guides to 57 Programs''
(2005), pp. 250–51, 293; * Meil, Eila
''Casting Might-Have-Beens, A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered For Roles Given To Others''
(2005) p. 102; * Ross, Wallace A
''Best TV & Radio Commercials, Volume 1''
(1967), pp. 103, 153 * Shaw, Arnold
''52nd Street: The Street Of Jazz''
(1977), pp. 321, 338; * Shilts, Randy
''And The Band Played On''
(2007); p. 331; * Thomas, Sam
''Best American Screenplays 3, Complete Screenplays''
(1995), pp. 7, 62; * Review, ''The Godfather'

by Vincent Canby. * Rolling Ston
January 3, 1974
Issue 151 * Singing, 20th century
History.com
Encyclopedia * Westway
Volume 69
(1967), p. 55

References

External links

Morgana King at Verve Records
*
Morgana King at Billboard.com
*
Morgana King at Last.fm
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Morgana 1930 births 2018 deaths American contraltos Actresses from New York (state) Actresses from Palm Springs, California 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American women jazz singers American jazz singers American people of Italian descent Bebop singers Cool jazz singers Mainstream Records artists Mercury Records artists Muse Records artists People from Pleasantville, New York Singers from New York (state) Reprise Records artists Savoy Records artists Torch singers Traditional pop music singers Verve Records artists Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American women