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Ella Mae Morse

Personal Profile

Ella Mae Morse
  • Date of Birth:
    September 12, 1924
  • Zodiac Sign:
    Virgo
  • Place of Birth:
    Mansfield, Texas, USA
  • Place of Death:
    Bullhead City, Arizona, USA
  • Date of Death:
    October 16, 1999
  • Cause of Death:
    Respiratory failure
  • Sex:
    Female
  • Nationality:
    American

Family

Ella Mae Morse
  • Spouse:
    Jack Bradford

Career

Ella Mae Morse

Trivia

Ella Mae Morse
  • Popular singer best known for her hit ''Cow Cow Boogie,'' Ella Mae Morse got her big break at a young age with Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra.
  • There are two stories about her short stay with Dorsey.
  • One is that she called for an audition when the band was booked at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas.
  • Needing a female singer, Dorsey listened, liked her and hired her.
  • She claimed to be 19 but was really 13, and when Dorsey later received a notice from the school board informing him that he was responsible for her he fired her.
  • The other story tells that Dorsey discovered a 15-year-old Ella Mae at a Houston jam session.
  • She had borrowed carfare to get to the event and walked out with a Dorsey contract.
  • She was, however, inexperienced and undisciplined.
  • Singer Bob Eberly recalls that on one radio program she forgot the lyrics to a song and started ad libbing as to that fact and on another song she sang an alternate set of risqué lyrics that was banned by the network.
  • Dorsey fired her after only a month, hiring Helen O'Connell in her place.

Biography

Ella Mae Morse
Last Updated: Saturday, August 22, 2009
Morse was born in Mansfield, Texas. She was hired by Jimmy Dorsey when she was 14 years old. Dorsey believed she was 19, and when he was informed by the school board that he was now responsible for her care, he fired her. In 1942, at the age of 17, she joined Freddie Slack's band, with whom in the same year she recorded "Cow Cow Boogie," Capitol Records' first gold single. "Mr. Five by Five" was also recorded by Morse with Slack and they had a hit recording with the song in 1942 (Capitol 115). She also originated the wartime hit "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet," which was later popularized by Nancy Walker in the film, Broadway Rhythm.

Filmography

Ella Mae Morse

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