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Jane Morgan
An August 1969 photo of Morgan, which was signed for television hostMike Douglas
Born	Florence Catherine Currier (1924-05-03)May 3, 1924 (age 100) Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education	Juilliard School of Music
Occupations	Singer Broadway actress night club/cabaret performer television personality
Years active	1943–2009
Spouses	Larry Stith ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1964)​ Jerry Weintraub ​ ​ (m. 1965, separated 1980s)​
Children	4 (1 step-son)
Musical career
Genres	Traditional pop
Labels	Kapp Epic RCA Victor Decca Polydor Parlophone
Musical artist

Jane Morgan (bornFlorence Catherine Currier; May 3, 1924) is an American former singer and recording artist of traditional pop. Morgan initially found success in France and the UK before achieving recognition in the US, receiving sixgold records. She was a frequent nightclub andBroadway performer, and also appeared numerous times on American television, both as a singer and as a dramatic performer.

Morgan was bornFlorence Catherine Currier inNewton, Massachusetts, on May 3, 1924,^[1] one of five children born to musicians Olga (Brandenburg) andBertram Currier.^[2] At five she began vocal lessons while continuing piano lessons. During the summers, she took on child roles and appeared in theater productions at the Kennebunkport Playhouse inKennebunkport, Maine, which her brother, Robert Currier, had founded.^[3][4]

In 1941, she was listed as the Treasurer of the Kennebunkport Playhouse.^[5] After graduating fromSeabreeze High School, she was accepted into New York'sJuilliard School of Music.^[6] Intending to become an opera singer, she studied opera by day and performed whenever possible.^[7]

Morgan sang popular songs in nightclubs and small restaurants, and at bar mitzvahs and other private parties, to help pay her tuition expenses at Juilliard.^[8] Orchestra leaderArt Mooney changed her name toJane Morgan by taking the first name of one of his vocalists, Janie Ford, and the last name of another, Marian Morgan.^[4]

In 1948, French impresario Bernard Hilda selected her to accompany him to Paris.^[8] Morgan became a sensation in Paris.^[9] Many French songwriters, includingCharles Trenet, frequented the club, and they wrote several songs that became hit recordings for Morgan. Morgan and Hilda soon opened a new weekly hour-long television show and she began recording in 1949 on the FrenchPolydor label as well asParlophone,Philips, and others.^[9] She returned to Europe in 1954 to appear in aLondon West End review with comedianVic Oliver, and later at theSavoy Theatre andLondon Palladium.^[8][10]

Morgan left her agent and began singing atLou Walters'Latin Quarter in New York. Walters kept Morgan at the Latin Quarter for a year, when she was noticed byDave Kapp, who had recently founded a new recording label,Kapp Records.^[6] Kapp signed Morgan to a recording contract, and near that same period he signed pianistRoger Williams.^[9]

To counter her reputation as a French singer, Kapp had Morgan record "Baseball, Baseball", and her first album release was titledThe American Girl from Paris. She recorded several additional albums and soon was paired with Williams, who had gained national acceptance with his recording of "Autumn Leaves". They recorded "Two Different Worlds", which gave Morgan her first significant airplay on US radio.^[6] In 1957 Kapp broughtThe Troubadors, a virtually unknown group of five musicians, to his studio. They had appeared inLove in the Afternoon. Kapp asked Morgan to join The Troubadors and sing "Fascination".^[6] Although written in 1904 by F. D. Marchetti as "Valse Tzigane", the song was modified in Paris at theFolies Bergère as a "strip" number. With English lyrics added byDick Manning in 1932, it had been played throughout the 1957 movie (the French lyric had been created in 1942).^[6] Her recording was released in late 1957 and remained on the charts for 29 weeks.^[11]

In 1958, Kapp released "The Day the Rains Came" (a French song byGilbert Becaud called "Le jour où la pluie viendra") with Morgan singing in English on one side and in French on the other.^[6] It reachednumber one in theUK Singles Chart in early 1959.^[12] She was featured on the 10 November 1959, jazz special,Timex-All-Star Jazz III.^[13]

Morgan performed in musicals on the stage and Broadway. She appeared inCan-Can,The King and I,^[14]Kiss Me, Kate,Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,^[15]Bells Are Ringing,^[16]Anniversary Waltz,Affairs of State,Hello, Dolly^[17] and others.^[18]

Morgan's agent died in 1959, and her new manager,Jerry Weintraub, was able to obtain bookings for her in many noted US venues. Morgan divorced Larry Stith in 1964,^[19] and married Weintraub, more than a decade her junior, in 1965; the couple later adopted three daughters, Julie, Jamie and Jody. Morgan also has a stepson Michael from Weintraub's first marriage.^[6] Morgan and Weintraub separated but never divorced; he died in 2015.^{[citation needed]}

In 1960, she recorded the English-language version of an Italian song,Romantica.^[6]

After Morgan performed on Broadway, she said, "Being on Broadway was one of the most exciting things in my life because I had always dreamed of it".^[20]

Morgan's two final albums were forRCA Records: her last LP,Jane Morgan in Nashville, yielded two moderate hits on thecountry music charts, including her answer toJohnny Cash's song, "A Boy Named Sue", titled "A Girl Named Johnny Cash" (written by comicMartin Mull). She performed the song onCash's eponymous television series in early 1971.^[21]

The only other time she had recorded without formal arrangements was on her hit single, "Fascination"; nevertheless, she was reportedly dubbed "The Countryest Girl in Nashville" by the crew.^[21] She retired from performing in 1973, but has appeared occasionally over the years at special events and benefits. She worked as a production assistant to her husband (producer Jerry Weintraub) on films including the remake ofOcean's Eleven.^[20]

On December 10, 2009, she performed at theUNICEF Ball honoring her husband, Jerry Weintraub, held at theBeverly Wilshire Hotel, singing "Ten Cents a Dance" and "Big Spender".^[22] Known as Jane Weintraub, she divides her time betweenMalibu, California,Palm Springs, California andKennebunkport, Maine. She has owned Blueberry Hill Farm inKennebunkport, Maine since 1958.^[20]

Her collection of her unique performance gowns spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s were exhibited to the public for the first time, premiering at theBrick Store Museum inKennebunk, Maine, in February 2022.^[23]

Morgan celebrated her100th birthday on May 3, 2024.^[24] Among others, American composerPhilip Springer (as "santababycomposer") wished Morgan a happy 100th birthday onInstagram on May 3, 2024.^[25]

Morgan performed for French PresidentCharles de Gaulle, and for five U.S. Presidents:John F. Kennedy,Richard Nixon,Gerald Ford,Jimmy Carter, andGeorge W. Bush. She toured withJack Benny andJohn Raitt, and appeared at theGrand Ole Opry; two of her RCA singles hit the Billboard country charts in 1970.^[11]

Morgan made her U.S. television debut onCelebrity Time in 1951. Her earlytelevision credits includeThe Victor Borge Show,The Colgate Comedy Hour,Cavalcade of Stars,The Jack Benny Program,The Jimmy Dean Show,The Jonathan Winters Show,The Mike Douglas Show, andThe Hollywood Palace, as well as more than fifty appearances onThe Ed Sullivan Show.^[26]

Morgan appeared in such television specials asHighways of Melody 1961;The Bell Telephone Hour: A Trip to Christmas (1961);The Bell Telephone Hour: Christmas Program (1965);The Bell Telephone Hour: Masterpieces and Music (1966);Coliseum (1967);Kraft Music Hall: Broadway's Best (1969) andOperation: Entertainment (1969).^{[citation needed]}

She starred in three of her own television specials:The Jane Morgan Hour (1959);Voice of Firestone: An Evening in Paris (1959), andThe Jane Morgan Show (1968), and made several dramatic television appearances, includingThe Web: Rehearsal for Death (1952);Peter Gunn: Down the Drain (1961); andIt Takes a Thief: The Suzie Simone Caper (1970).^[26]

Morgan's version of "If Only I Could Live My Life Again" was featured during the closing credits of the second season finale of Apple TV'sThe Morning Show which was released November 19, 2021.

On May 6, 2011, Morgan received the 2,439th star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.^{[citation needed]}

Thisbiography of a living personrelies on asingle source. You can help by adding reliable sources to this article. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately.(June 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• This list does not include re-releases.

• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart

Notes

Bibliography

• Kaplan, Mike.Variety Who's Who in Show Business, Garland Publishing Inc., 1983,ISBN 978-0824087135
• Kapp Records, liner notes, 1957–1962
• Epic Records liner notes, 1965–1967
• RCA Records liner notes, 1969–1970
• Lax, Roger, and Frederick Smith.The Great Song Thesaurus,Oxford University Press, 1989,ISBN 978-0195054088
• Maltin, Leonard.Movie and Video Guide 1995,Penguin Books Ltd., 1994ISBN 9780451183323
• McAleer, David.The All Music Book of Hit Singles, Miller Freeman Books, 1994,ISBN 9780879303303
• Murrells, Joseph.Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s, Arco Publishing Inc., 1984,ISBN 9780713438437
• Osborne, Jerry.Rockin Records, Osborne Publications, 1999,ISBN 9780932117236
• Francis D. McKinley interview with Jane Morgan on 22 May 2000, and subsequent article

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJane Morgan (singer).

• Jane Morgan atIMDb
• UNICEF Ball honoring Jerry Weintraub
• Huffington Post: Weintraub Salute

• 1924 births
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• American contraltos
• American musical theatre actresses
• American women pop singers
• American television actresses
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• Musicians from Daytona Beach, Florida
• Traditional pop music singers
• Seabreeze High School alumni
• Singers from Florida
• American expatriates in France
• American expatriates in Canada
• 20th-century American women singers

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