“Unsung Hero” Ella Mae Morse
I got hold of a copy of Nick Tosches’ “Unsung Heroes of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Dark and Wild Years Before Elvis”. The “before” caught my eye and so I ordered a copy. Happy I did!
Tosches has rock and roll credentials having contributed to Rolling Stone, Creme, Country Music Magazine and wrote a Jerry Lee Lewis biography in 1984 as well “Hellfire”.
From Tosches’ introduction:
“Rock ‘n’ roll was not created solely by blacks or by whites; and it certainly did not come into being all of a sudden. It evolved, slowly, wrought by blacks and by whites, some of them old and some of them young, in the South and in the West, in the North and in the East. Its makers were driven not so much by any pure creative spirit, but rather by the desire to make money. Nothing can better bring together a black man and a white, a young man and an old, a country man and a city man, than a dollar placed between them. Rock ‘n’ roll flourished because it sold.“
Tosches admits that he was having some fun with this book, not to be taken as an offense to the music or the folks who provided those early songs.
At any rate, here are a few snippets of the “Unsung Heroes” contained within. I highly recommend obtaining a copy of this fine book to enjoy the in-depth tales behind these pioneer rockers!
(Many of the musicians contained in the book are present previously on my site)
Ella Mae Morse
I like Tosches choice of Ella Mae Morse for inclusion into his “Unsung Heroes of Rock ‘n’ Roll”.
Perhaps with just a little bit different handling by an insightful manager, Texas girl Morse could have become a true “Sung Hero” of pop and rock and roll!
Ella Mae Morse (real name – great name) was born on September 12th, 1924 in Mansfield, TX. At a very young age she would drop out of school and would front her father’s jazz band in Mansfield. And, at only 14 years of age, would sign on with the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra who had come through town.
Her stint with Dorsey was quickly cut short when a photo appeared in Downbeat Magazine in February of 1939, featuring the 14 year-old’s shapely legs. Boy, times have changed! The photo apparently was too much for Dorsey and he promptly replaced Ella Mae with vocalist Helen O’Connell – another teenager.
A Different Ella Mae Rise to Fame Story
This is the Tosches version of Ella’s story, but an article based on a 1975 interview with Morse relates a slightly different version. Ella relates how, as a little girl of only four years old, she used to visit a nearby gentleman in her hometown who she referred to as “Uncle Joe”.
Uncle Joe was an elderly black man and the two of them would sing along together on his front porch steps. Ellas gives him credit for showing her the way to bring forth the spirit from within when singing. And he accurately predicted that Ella would “make it big” one day.
Ella also says that when band leader Jimmy Dorsey came to town that she was only 12 years old at the time but looked much older, fooling Dorsey. Morse relates that she didn’t automatically step into the band vocalist role but rather, auditioned with several hundred others and was chosen by Dorsey!
The Downbeat Magazine story may also not be accurate. According to Ella, Dorsey was contacted by the school board and informed that if he persisted in employing Morse as a singer that he would become responsible for her education and so she was promptly dispatched while in New York. But she did make the acquaintance of Dorsey band member Freddie Slack which would lead to her future success!
Then, in 1941, former Dorsey band member Freddie Slack was sailing along doing his own thing. He decided to form a band and would get in touch with Ella Mae who was now 17 years old and in search of employment.
Slack and company headed for Hollywood and would become the first act to sign on with Johnny Mercer’s new Capitol label. With Ella Mae belting out the song as vocalist, Capitol had themselves a hit. Not just a hit, but their first hit. “Cow Cow Boogie” was released under the name “Freddie Slack Orchestra”.
Morse and Slack would part company in 1944 with Ella Mae going solo continuing on Capitol. Her chart action dipped for a couple of years until she reunited with Slack delivering the song which Toschces acclaims as reason-alone to crown Morse as a rock and roll “Unsung Hero”.
The Andrew Sisters and Chuck Miller also recorded the song, but it didn’t contain the spoken rapid fire dialogue exchange delivered by Raye and Morse.
The song was “House of Blue Lights”! Morse was joined by vocalist Don Raye who co-penned the song. Raye always displayed a penchant for hep cat like lyrics giving us “Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar”, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “You Don’t Know What Love Is” which was recorded by rockers such as Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis and others.
Check out these lyrics:
“Well, whatcha say, baby? You look as ready as Mr. Freddy this black.
How ’bout you and me goin’ spinnin’ at the track?
What’s that, homie? If you think I’m goin’ dancin’ on a dime,
your clock is tickin’ on the wrong time.
Well, what’s your pleasure, treasure? You call the plays, I’ll dig the ways.
Ay, daddy-o, I’m not so crude as to drop my mood on a
square from way back.
I’m there and have to dig life with father
and I mean Father Slack
Well, baby, your plate gives my weight a solid flip.
You snap the whip, I’ll make the trip”
Which Noches sums up with “Then, Ella Mae, free, white and twenty-one now – began to sing one of the roughest, sexiest, hymns to the night that had ever been heard.”
Then along came 1954 and the release of a long play by Ella Mae titled “Barrelhouse, Boogie, and the Blues” – this being the same year that Elvis recorded his first single, and before the world had really been introduced to the King.
Ella Mae laid down raucous tracks including “Rock Me All Night Long”, “Daddy, Daddy”, “Money Honey< the sultry “5-10-15 Hours”, and “Have Mercy Baby”.
Ella Mae’s final recording came in 1957. She was far too young go hang up her boogie woogie/rock ‘n’ roll shoes, but she did, raising three children. She briefly toured on the West Coast in the mid 1970s but the songs she delivered at that point were strictly lounge.
Ella related later in her life that being so very young when she launched her career was a blessing and a curse. She was way too young to manage her finances and that alone caused her many problems. Along the way, Ella was forever referred to as the “Cow-Cow Boogie” girl. She was so much more than that!
Ella Mae Morse passed away on October 16th, 1999 at the age of 75. Ella Mae Morse was truly an “Unsung Hero” of rock ‘n’ roll.
Ella Mae Morse Timeline
January 13th, 1939 – The Portland Evening Express – ME
This article indicates that Ella was 19 years old. According to her, she was 12. Other sources say 14. Article also says she was from Dallas instead of Mansfield.
February 26th, 1939 – The El Paso Times – TX
October 31st, 1942 – “Cow-Cow Boogie” – #9 Pop – #6 R&B
Morse vocal uncredited
November 7th, 1942 – The New York Daily News – NY
January 8th, 1943 – The Oakland Tribune – CA
July 1943 – “Get on Board, Little Chillun” – #19 Pop
Morse vocal uncredited
August 13th, 1943 – The Spokane Chronicle – WA
(Ella Mae performs in the motion picture “Reveille with Beverly”
December 18th, 1943 – “Shoo-Shoo Baby” – #1 R&B for 2 Weeks – #4 Pop
1943 Yearbook – Billboard Magazine
January 1st, 1944 – The New York Daily News – NY
Morse song in movie “Destination Tokyo”
January 22nd, 1944 – Billboard Magazine
January 29th, 1944 – “No Love, No Nothin’ – #4 Pop
February 28th, 1944 – The New York Daily News – NY
May 13th, 1944 – “Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet” – #7 Pop
May 20th, 1944 – “Tess’s Torch Song (If I Had a Man)” – #13 Pop
June 18th, 1944 – The Los Angeles Times – CA
July 15th, 1944 – Billboard Magazine
July 29th, 1944 – The Louisville Courier-Journal – KY
Ella and marriage never mixed well. She went through four husbands over the course of her life!
August 4th, 1944 – The Lexington Kentucky Courier-Journal – KY
August 24th, 1944 – The New York Democrat and Chronicle – NY
Ella appears and sings in the motion picture “Ghost Catchers”
September 9th, 1944 – “The Patty Cake Man” – #10 Pop
September 17th, 1944 – “South of Dixie” Motion Picture
Ella Mae Morse appears in motion picture “South of Dixie”
October 26th, 1944 – The New York Daily News – NY
November 11th, 1944 – Billboard Magazine
December 10th, 1944 – The San Francisco Examiner – CA
January 12th, 1945 – The Seattle Star – WA
May 26th, 1945 – “Captain Kidd” – #17 Pop
December 8th, 1945 – Billboard Magazine
January 26th, 1946 – “Buzz Me” – #2 R&B – #15 Pop
April 18th, 1946 – Council Bluffs Nonpareil – IA
April 20th, 1946 – Billboard Magazine
May 1946 – “The House of Blue Lights” – #8 Pop
July 19th, 1946 – The San Francisco Examiner – CA
July 26th, 1946 – The San Francisco Examiner – CA
September 22nd, 1946 – The Minneapolis Star-Tribune – MN
September 26th, 1946 – The Minneapolis Star – MN
September 30th, 1946 – Cash Box Magazine
December 20th, 1946 – The Hartford Courant – CT
January 29th, 1947 – The St. Louis Post-Dispatch – MO
Ella mostly vanished from the record charts and the news during 1947.
February 24th, 1948 – The Spokesman Review – WA
February 16th, 1952 – “The Blacksmith Blues” – #3 Pop
June 7th, 1952 – “Oakie Boogie” – #23 Pop
June 13th, 1952 – The Oakland Tribune – CA
February 10th, 1953 – The Shreveport Journal – LA
February 10th, 1953 – The Shreveport Times – LA
March 23rd, 1954 – The Vancouver Sun – Canada
July 24th, 1954 – The Venice Evening Vanguard – CA
1954 – LP – “Barrelhouse, Boogie & the Blues”
1955 EP – “Today’s Top Hits Volume 13 Part 1”
With “Seventeen” by Ella Mae Morse
July 18th, 1957 – The Victorville Daily Press – CA
July 25th, 1957 – The Victorville Daily Press – CA
1957 LP – “The Morse Code”
July 1957 – “I’m Gone” b/w “Sway Me”
Ella’s final Capitol single
March 9th, 1958 – The Tucson Arizona Daily Star – AZ
March 4th, 1960 – The St. Louis Globe-Democrat – MO
August 30th, 1961 – The Ventura County Star – CA
November 1962 LP – “The Hits of Ella Mae Morse & Freddie Slack”
November 25th, 1962 – The New York Daily News – NY
January 25th, 1963 – The Sacramento Bee – CA
March 8th, 1964 – The Los Angeles Times – CA
August 11th, 1965 – The Corpus Christi Times – TX
August 3rd, 1969 – The Spokane Review – WA
November 21st, 1973 – The Desert Sun – UT
February 3rd, 1974 – The Los Angeles Times – CA
October 2nd, 1974 – The Phoenix Arizona Republic – AZ
July 31st, 1975 – The Whittier La Mirada Review – CA
December 11th, 1975 – The Mansfield News-Mirror – TX
January 30th, 1976 – The Long Beach Press-Telegram – CA
May 27th, 1977 – The Pomona Progress-Bulletin – CA
Ella was now performing in a “lounge music” style – far from the blues and rock of her heyday
December 8th, 1975 – The Paris News – TX
I feel this is a good article to round out the Ella Mae Morse story!
PopBopRocktilUDrop 