Jaye P. Morgan
- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Sassy, dusky-voiced entertainer Jaye P. Morgan was not always so sassy,
but today this is for which she is fondly remembered. She was born Mary
Margaret Morgan in 1931 and began performing at an early age for family
and friends. She eagerly entertained at school assemblies and, when she
graduated from Verdugo Hills High School (California) in 1949, left to
seek her fame and fortune on the cabaret circuit. She quickly got a
regular singing gig with the Frank De Vol Orchestra and was soon charting
her recordings. She first hit big with "Life Is Just a Bowl of
Cherries" in 1951. Other hits to follow were "The Longest Walk" and
"That's All I Want from You". The now-popular song stylist soon took to
TV, making her debut as a regular vocalist on Stop the Music (1949). She was a
consistent guest performer on all the best variety showcases, including
Perry Como and Ed Sullivan's shows, and in 1956 even managed to hostess her
own variety program, The Jaye P. Morgan Show (1956), accompanied by her singing siblings "The
Morgan Brothers (Duke, Bob, Charlie and Dick). She maintained a very
proper, wholesome image, as expected, during these vital years. In the
60s, Jaye P. took a long sabbatical from the industry to regroup, with
only occasional night club appearances to show for it. But, she came
back swinging in the next decade, reinventing herself to a whole new
generation. The new package was hipper, fresher, saucier, sexier,
funnier and definitely crazier. She focused this time as an actress and
comedienne. Wild-and-crazy producer Chuck Barris took a huge liking to this
racy new package and made her household name all over again with his
cult TV program The Gong Show (1976) and their zany offshoots. Jaye P. let it all
hang out this time and Barris' shows were the perfect formats for her
to pull out all the stops. Now 92 (2023), she has lost little of her
zing. Her last appearance was a cameo in George Clooney's film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), an
off-centered semi-biopic about Barris. Jaye P. Morgan...one of a kind
and one heck of a dame. She definitely did it her way.
