Complete Marion Morgan With Harry James & His Orchestra

by Marion Morgan / Harry James

Harry James was, without a doubt, the number one trumpet man of the Great Band Era - and, quite possibly of all time. He was also a pioneer, a visionary and a virtuoso, as well as a beloved and admired entertainer. His music was sometimes sweet, sometimes swingin' - and sometimes both! In 1938, after a stint with Benny Goodman, Harry put together his own orchestra. Amoung Harry's vocalists: Betty Grable (his wife), Dick Haymes, Helen Forrest, Doris Day, Kitty Kallen, and most memorably, Frank Sinatra. Harry almost signed Patti Page - but instead stole 23 year-old Marion Morgan away from Caesar Petrillo's big band in Chicago. In June 1946 he flew her to Los Angeles, where all of their recording would take place. A short seventeen months later, Marion overheard Harry James say, "Singers have ruined the band business," and that very weekend, she quit the band. After her experience with the Harry James, Marion Morgan went on to record with Columbia Records, and then onto television and radio during the 1950s.