Frank Morgan
1933 – 2007
Frank Morgan (alto saxophonist) was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but was raised by his grandmother in Milwaukee from the age of 5 or 6. His father was Stanley Morgan, who worked as a guitarist with The Ink Spots and others. As a youth, Frank was inspired by hearing and meeting Charlie Parker at a concert in Detroit by the Jay McShann band. He started on clarinet before switching to saxophone and studied with Milwaukee saxophonist Leonard Gay.
At age 14, he moved to Los Angeles to live with his father and soon became immersed in the jazz scene, performing with Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, and Charlie Parker. He recorded his debut album, Frank Morgan, in 1955 at age 21. Unfortunately, this coincided with his first arrest and incarceration for drug use. Following in the footsteps of Bird, Frank had started using heroin at age 17. His addiction led to multiple incarcerations from the late 1950s through the 1980s.
After spending much of his life in prison, he made a comeback with the release of Easy Living in 1985. He recorded prolifically and performed internationally for the next two decades, earning praise for his deeply expressive playing and bebop mastery. In the 1990s, Frank lived in Milwaukee for several years and performed with many local players when not on the road or recording. He died on December 14, 2007, in Minneapolis, just days before his 74th birthday.
Listen to Frank perform “The Nearness of You,” with guitarist Howard Roberts, pianist Carl Perkins, bassist Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer Larance Marable, recorded in Hollywood in 1955.
