Jaye P. Morgan

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The Morgan Brothers

The Morgan Brothers were an American vocal quartet comprised of four of the brothers of singer Jaye P. Morgan. The Morgan Brothers consisted of Charlie, Bob, Dick, and Duke Morgan. Enriched with a solid background in musical performance both vocally and instrumentally, the talented quartet was formed in California in the mid-1950s.

Like their sister Jaye P., the brothers (including a fifth brother, John) had been a part of their family act “The Morgan Family,” performing for audiences throughout the western states and starring in their own family radio program broadcast from California during the late 1930s. Each of the young men later played in musical groups in Southern California, with western swing music being the dominant style.
 
Charlie Morgan for many years was a member of the famed western group The Plainsmen, recording for Coast Records, Capitol Records and appearing with the group on the weekly CBS radio program, Hollywood Barn Dance. The Plainsmen also appeared in numerous western films including Black Hills (1947) and River of No Return (1954) starring Marilyn Monroe. At one time or another, each of the Morgan Brothers had also played in the band of western swing artist Hank Penny in Southern California.

By the spring of 1955, RCA Victor was already witnessing the monumental record sales of Jaye P. Morgan from her hits, “That’s All I Want From You,” and “Danger! Heartbreak Ahead.” The record label quickly signed the Morgan Brothers by May 1955. The group had two single RCA Victor releases for 1955, “In Madrid” b/w “Foolproof” and “Walk Along With Kings” b/w “Find Her Fast,” all recorded under the direction of musical conductor Henri Rene.

Charlie, Bob, Dick and Duke were co-stars of their sister’s 1956 musical-variety summer TV program,
The Jaye P. Morgan Show which was broadcast live on NBC. The Morgan Brothers later joined their sister in her nightclub act for the period 1957 through 1959, appearing in the top concert venues in the United States. The brothers also appeared with Jaye P. Morgan on many television programs during this period including The Steve Allen Show, The Pat Boone Show, The Big Record hosted by Patti Page, The Jimmy Dean Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and the 1959 NBC television special starring Sid Caesar entitled, At The Movies.

Although the Morgan Brothers were never coupled with Jaye P. on a full album, RCA Victor did arrange for a recording session in May 1958. This session featured the Morgan Brothers and Jaye P. together on four songs including their beautiful rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Star Dust” which was a mainstay of their nightclub act.

Bob Morgan departed from the group in late 1958 due to family obligations and shortly thereafter, the Morgan Brothers (now consisting of Charlie, Dick, and Duke) moved to MGM Records. Their first release on MGM in January 1959 turned out to be their only charted hit. Promoted as the first vocal version, “Nola” peaked at #50 on the Billboard charts in February 1959.

By the end of the decade, all of the men decided to leave the road behind and return to their families and individual music careers. Charlie Morgan would join his brother Bob in Idaho while brothers Dick and Duke returned to California. Their final MGM single record, “When You Go Out (Go With Me)” b/w “Let’s Make Memories,” was released in January 1960. All of the brothers remained very active in music for the remainder of their careers, both in performance and music instruction.

~ Mike Donaldson