Jane Morgan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jane Morgan
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Jane Morgan in August 1969. This photo was signed for TV host Mike Douglas.
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Florence Catherine Currier
May 3, 1924 Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Education | Juilliard School of Music |
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| Years active | 1943–2009 |
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| Children | 4 (1 step-son) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Traditional pop |
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Jane Morgan (born Florence Catherine Currier on May 3, 1924) is an American singer who was famous for her traditional pop music. Before becoming a star in the United States, she first became popular in France and the United Kingdom.
Morgan earned six gold records for her hit songs. She was a talented performer who sang in nightclubs and acted on Broadway. She also appeared on American television many times, both as a singer and an actress.
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A Musical Childhood
Jane Morgan was born Florence Catherine Currier in Newton, Massachusetts. She was one of five children in a musical family. Her parents, Olga and Bertram Currier, were both musicians.
From the age of five, she took singing and piano lessons. During the summers, she acted in plays at the Kennebunkport Playhouse in Kennebunkport, Maine. Her brother had started the playhouse. After high school, she was accepted into the famous Juilliard School of Music in New York City. She hoped to become an opera singer.
Starting Her Career
To pay for her classes at Juilliard, she sang popular songs at parties, in small restaurants, and at nightclubs. An orchestra leader named Art Mooney gave her the stage name Jane Morgan.
In 1948, a French show promoter named Bernard Hilda invited her to Paris. Morgan quickly became a huge star in France. Famous French songwriters, like Charles Trenet, wrote songs just for her. She even had her own weekly TV show in Paris. She started recording songs in 1949.
Success in America
In the mid-1950s, Morgan returned to the United States. She began singing at the Latin Quarter nightclub in New York City. A record producer named Dave Kapp saw her perform and signed her to his new label, Kapp Records.
To show she was an American singer, not just a French one, her first album was called The American Girl from Paris. In 1957, she recorded the song "Fascination". The song was a massive hit and stayed on the music charts for 29 weeks.
In 1958, she recorded "The Day the Rains Came". She sang it in English on one side of the record and in French on the other. The song became a number-one hit in the UK in early 1959.
Life on Stage and Screen
Morgan was also a star on the theater stage. She performed in many famous Broadway musicals, including The King and I, Kiss Me, Kate, and Hello, Dolly. She said that being on Broadway was one of the most exciting things in her life.
In 1959, she hired a new manager, Jerry Weintraub. They married in 1965 and adopted three daughters. Morgan and Weintraub separated in the 1980s but never divorced. Weintraub passed away in 2015.
Morgan appeared on American television many times. She was a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show more than fifty times. She also starred in her own TV specials.
Later Life and Legacy
In the 1970s, Morgan recorded a country music album in Nashville. One of her songs was a fun reply to Johnny Cash's hit "A Boy Named Sue". Her song was called "A Girl Named Johnny Cash."
She retired from performing in 1973 but still appeared at special events. She also helped her husband produce movies, like the remake of Ocean's Eleven.
Morgan has performed for five U.S. Presidents, including John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush. On May 6, 2011, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She celebrated her 100th birthday on May 3, 2024. Today, she is known as Jane Weintraub and lives in California and Maine.
See also
In Spanish: Jane Morgan para niños
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
