"When Icky Morgan Plays the Organ" is a 1935 big band and jazz song written by Glenn Miller. The song was released as a 78 single by Clark Randall and his Orchestra on Brunswick. "When Icky Morgan Plays the Organ" was released as a Brunswick 10inch 78 single in 1935 as Brunswick 7415 backed with "Troublesome Trumpet". "When Icky Morgan Plays the Organ" was a novelty song composed and recorded by Glenn Miller in 1935 when he was a member of the Clark Randall Orchestra, which featured

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the young ...

Gil Rodin Gilbert A. Rodin (December 9, 1906 – June 10, 1974) was an American jazz saxophonist, songwriter, and record producer. He was born in the Russian Empire. Career Rodin was raied in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Rodin studied saxophone, clari ...

, Nappy Lamare, and singer Frank Tennille, the father of

Toni Tennille Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille (born May 8, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist, best known as one-half of the 1970s duo Captain & Tennille with her former husband Daryl Dragon; their signature song is " Love Will Keep Us ...

of the Captain and Tennille, whose pseudonym was Clark Randall. The unique title of the song comes from the "icky" slang expression that Dick Morgan, an eccentric member of the

Ben Pollack Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 – June 7, 1971) was an American drummer and bandleader from the mid-1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to employ musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland, ...

orchestra, used. Dick Morgan was the banjo and guitar player in the Ben Pollack band, who also used a realistic replica of a python in his act with the Pollack ban

George Simon recalled how the song came about: "Glenn composed one of the songs, "When Icky Morgan Plays the Organ, Look Out!" — dedicated to his good friend Dick Morgan, who had played guitar in Pollack's band." Miller recorded ten songs with the Clark Randall orchestra in March, 1935. The song appears on the 2001 compilation album ''Bob Crosby and His Orchestra: And Then Some, Parts 1 and 2 of the Complete Discography'' on Halcyon, HALC 142, and the 2005 compilation series ''The Glenn Miller Story, Vol. 1-2'' on Avid Entertainment. The recording is also on ''Bob Crosby & His Orchestra. Rarities No. 41'', a vinyl LP album, catalogue number 41, which was released on Rarities Records, Copenhagen, Denmark, appearing as "When Icky Morgan Plays His Organ".

Personnel

The personnel on this recording session were: Hilton Nappy Lamare, vocal on side A, "Troublesome Trumpet"; Clark Randall and his orchestra featuring: Clark Randall, vocal on side B, "When Icky Morgan Plays the Organ";

Charlie Spivak Charlie Spivak (February 17, 1907 – March 1, 1982) was an American trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his big band in the 1940s. Early life The details of Spivak's birth are unclear. Some sources place it in Ukraine in 1907, and that h ...

Yank Lawson John Rhea "Yank" Lawson (May 3, 1911 – February 18, 1995) was an American jazz trumpeter known for Dixieland and swing music. Born John Lausen in 1911, from 1933 to 1935 he worked in Ben Pollack's orchestra and after that became a founding ...

, trumpet; Glenn Miller, Larry Altpeter, trombone; Matty Matlock, clarinet/alto sax;

, alto sax; Eddie Miller, clarinet/tenor sax; Deane Kincaide, tenor sax; Gil Bowers, piano/organ; Hilton Nappy Lamare, guitar; Pete Peterson, string bass; and

Ray Bauduc Ray Bauduc (June 18, 1906 – January 8, 1988) was an American jazz drummer best known for his work with the Bob Crosby Orchestra and their band-within-a-band, the Bobcats, between 1935 and 1942. He is also known for his shared composition of " ...

, drums.Rust, Brian. ''The American Dance Band Discography''. New York: Arlington House, 1975. The song was recorded in New York City on March 15, 1935. The matrix number is B 17048. The matrix number for "Troublesome Trumpet" is B 17047 so "When Icky Morgan Plays the Organ" was the B side. The song is listed as "Novelty Fox Trot with Vocal Interludes" with the songwriting credit by Glenn Miller.

Sources

* Flower, John. ''Moonlight Serenade: A Bio-discography of the Glenn Miller Civilian Band''. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1972. * Rust, Brian. ''The American Dance Band Discography: 1917-1942''. Vols. 1 and 2. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House Publishers, 1975 * Simon, George Thomas. ''Glenn Miller and His Orchestra''. NY: Crowell, 1974. * Simon, George Thomas (1971). ''Simon Says: The Sights and Sounds of the Swing Era, 1935-1955 ''. New York: Galahad. . * Smith, Jay D. ''Jack Teagarden: The Story of a Jazz Maverick''. Cambridge, MA: DaCapo Press, 1988. p. 90.

References

External links

Online version. "When Icky Morgan Plays the Organ" by the Clark Randall Band, March, 1935. A Glenn Miller Arrangement, track 29.Online version. "When Icky Morgan Plays the Organ", 1935.
{{Glenn Miller Glenn Miller songs 1935 songs Novelty songs Songs about musicians Songs about musical instruments Songs about jazz Cultural depictions of jazz musicians Jazz songs Jazz compositions