Harmonica
UK
June
30, 2022
American harmonica player Tommy Morgan died recently aged 89. He
has recorded thousands of pieces of music since he first worked with the
Andrews Sisters in 1950. He is considered to be the most heard harmonica player
in the world, recording on soundtracks for over 500 films including Cool Hand
Luke, Dances with Wolves and City Slickers. He has also recorded TV themes such
as The Waltons and Dukes of Hazard. In addition, he worked as a session artist
with artists such as The Carpenters, The Beach Boys, Neil Diamond and many
others.
Tommy deservedly received a lifetime achievement award from SPAH
in 2001. It is said that if you heard a harmonica played on a film or TV series
made in the last 60 or so years it was probably Tommy Morgan playing. A sad
loss to the harmonica world and a unique and prolific artist
Thomas Morgan Edwards 4th Dec 1932 - 23rd June 2022
Rob Paparozzi wrote the following for us at short notice:
Tommy
Morgan, a Mentor and a friend
I met Tommy years ago at a SPAH convention. He knew of my
name as a NYC Session Player so we immediately connected and stayed in touch by
phone over the years, so it’s with great sadness I write these parting words.
The good news is, the permanent legacy he’s left us: 900 Movie Soundtracks and
7,030 recording sessions since the mid '50s to 2013, when he befell a stroke and
could no longer play.
One of his highlight performances and sessions were his live
& studio sessions with the London Philharmonic at Abbey Road in 1996-97;
checkout his masterful work on the recording John Barry and the
Beyondness of Things. I just finished his book, a really cool short read
in vignette format titled You Made How Much For Doing What?,
released this year on Amazon. Starting at age 11 he wasted no time learning to
read music for harmonica, and also played some guitar and piano. He was blessed
with perfect pitch and honed his craft and studied arranging in college and
with the US Air Force Band. If that’s not enough talent, then add a Black Belt
in Karate and Master Glider Pilot of 44 years!
After trying for a solo career in NYC and Canada in the '50s, he
ended up back in California finishing a Masters in Music and quickly joining
the Golden Age of recording in Los Angeles. He knew that for playing with
the big guys he’d better have a plan. He shedded on all 12 Keys and also made
sure he added Bass, Chord, Diatonic and all key Chromatics so he never had to
tell a producer or composer “I can’t”. The problem came when he wasn’t
available, then they said to the next player what do you mean you can’t, Morgan
did it!
Playing with Orchestral instruments on sessions he made sure he
had harmonicas tuned from A=440 to 442, he became know as a player always
in tune. The '60s were a busy time for him from Cartoon shows and Westerns, to
arranging for hit shows like The Twilight Zone, secured his
position in the LA scene.
If he wasn’t playing on Beach Boys or Carpenters hits with the
Wrecking Crew, he was a featured soloist on Hollywood box office hits
like Lilies of the Field in 1963 with Sidney Portier. He was
even on Elvis Presley’s huge 1968 Comeback Special.
So with 64 years in the studio chances are you’ve heard his
work. I’d even venture to say he’s THE most recorded and listened to
Harmonicist in the World. More than Adler, Reilly, Lennon, and Toots!
Condolences to his family and loving wife Lois.
We owe him our respect and I miss him already
MORGAN,
Tommy (Thomas
Morgan Edwards II)
Born:
12/4/1932,
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Died:
6/23/
2022, San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Tommy
Morgan’s westerns – composer, musician (harmonica):
Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers – 1954 [harmonica]
Giant
– 1956 [harmonica]
Maverick
(TV) – 1957-1962 [harmonica]
Rio
Bravo – 1959 [harmonica]
North
to Alaska – 1960 [harmonica]
Gunsmoke
(TV) – 1962, 1964, 1965 [composer, harmonica]
Have
Gun – Will Travel (TV) – 1962 [composer, harmonica]
Mail
Order Bride – 1964 [harmonica]
The
Twilight Zone (TV) – 1964 [harmonica]
Cat
Balou – 1965 [harmonica]
Stagecoach
– 1966 [harmonica]
The
War Wagon – 1967 [harmonica]
Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – 1969 [harmonica]
Hang
‘Em High – 1969 [harmonica]
Paint
Your Wagon – 1969 [harmonica]
Support
Your Local Sheriff – 1969 [harmonica]
The
Undefeated – 1969 [harmonica]
The
Wild Bunch – 1969 [harmonica]
Chisum
– 1970 [harmonica]
The
Traveling Executioner – 1970 [harmonica]
Wild
Rovers – 1971 [harmonica]
Buck
and the Preacher – 1972 [harmonica]
The
Cowboys – 1972 [harmonica]
How
the West Was Won – 1972 [harmonica]
Man
and Boy – 1972 [harmonica]
High
Plains Drifter – 1973 [harmonica]
The
Man Who Loved Cat Dancing – 1973 [harmonica]
Oklahoma
Crude – 1973 [harmonica]
Tom
Sawyer – 1973 [harmonica]
Westworld
– 1973 [harmonica]
Blazing
Saddles – 1974 [harmonica]
The
Apple Dumpling Gang – 1975 [harmonica]
Missouri
Breaks – 1976 [harmonica]
Silverado
– 1985 [harmonica]
Back
to the Future III – 1990 [harmonica]
Dances
With Wolves – 1990 [harmonica]
City
Slickers – 1991 [harmonica]
Windtalker
– 2002 [harmonica]
Luck
of the Draw – 2007 [harmonica]
Red
Dead Redemption – 2010 [harmonica]
No comments:
Post a Comment