Lee Morse
| Lee Morse | |
|---|---|
Morse circa 1930
|
|
| Born |
Lena Corinne Taylor November 30, 1897 Cove, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | December 16, 1954 (aged 57) Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Riverside Cemetery, Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Singer, musician, actress |
| Spouse(s) |
Elmer Morse (m. 1915–25) Ray Farese (m. 1946–54) |
| Relatives | Glen Taylor (brother) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Jazz, blues |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1923–1953 |
| Labels | Pathé, Perfect, Columbia |
| Website | www |
Lena Corinne "Lee" Morse (November 30, 1897 – December 16, 1954) was an American jazz and blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress. Morse's greatest popularity was in the 1920s and early 1930s as a torch singer, although her career began around 1917 and continued until her death in 1954.
Morse was known for her strong, deep singing voice and vocal range, which often belied her petite frame. She possessed a contralto vocal range, and one of her trademarks was her unique style of yodeling. Recording over 200 songs over her career, Morse was one of the most recorded female singers of the 1920s. She was also moderately successful as an actress on the Broadway stage. Her life and career, however, were marred by alcoholism. Morse's' group the Blue Grass Boys had no relation neither to their later namesake of Bill Monroe nor bluegrass music.
In 2014, Morse's rendition of "If You Want the Rainbow" was used in an episode of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.
Morse was born Lena Corinne Taylor in Cove, Oregon, a small town in the Grande Ronde Valley. Some sources list Morse's birthplace as Portland, Oregon, though this is disputed by her death certificate, which lists her birthplace as Union County, Oregon. She was the ninth of twelve children (and the third daughter) of Pleasant John Taylor, a local pastor from Texas, and his wife Olive Higgins Fleming. Morse's younger brother was Glen H. Taylor, a country singer and Democratic politician who served on the United States Senate in Idaho, and also ran for the Vice-President of the United States with Henry Wallace. Morse's other siblings included six other brothers: Robert, Davis, Jackson, Ephraim, Ruford, and Paul; two half-sisters, Elinor and Carrie; and two half-brothers, Lemuel and Pleasant.
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