Morgana King

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Maria Grazia Messina (June 4, 1930 – March 22, 2018), better known as Morgana King, was an American jazz singer and actress.

At sixteen years old, she began a professional singing career.

She was performing at a Greenwich Village nightclub when she was praised for her phrasing and vocal range in her twenties.

She was signed to a record company and began recording solo albums.

Hundreds of albums have been released well into the late 1990s. In The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), King appeared in film for the first time and breakout role.

She appeared in three other films, including her latest appearance in A Brooklyn State of Mind in 1997. She was twice married to fellow jazz musicians, first to Tony Fruscella and then to Willie Dennis.

Morgana died in Palm Springs, California, on March 22, 2018.

Early life

Maria Grazia Messina, a native of Pleasantville, New York, was born King George George. Her parents were from Fiumefreddo di Sicilia, Province of Catania, Sicily, Italy. She grew up in New York City with five siblings. Her father, who owned a coal and ice business, was able to play piano and guitar by ear. Since her father died, her family had a difficult financial situation.

When she was overheard singing the aria "I'll See You Again" from Nol Coward's opera Bitter Sweet at the age of thirteen, her vocal talents were revealed. She discovered a love for big bands at the age of 16. A scholarship to the Metropolitan School of Music was soon followed.

Personal life

Morgana King married twice. Her first marriage (when she was 17 years old) was to jazz trumpeter Tony Fruscella (1927-1989), which resulted in divorce after nine years; they had a daughter, Graysan (1950–2008). During their marriage, Charlie Parker and his family would often have "Sunday dinner with him."

Willie Dennis (né William DeBerardinis; 1926–1965), who met during an off-night visit to the Birdland Jazz Club, where she heard Sam Donahue's band playing. He had appeared on both Gerry Mulligan and Charles Mingus' album, The Four Trombones, on Mingus' record label, Debut Records. Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, and Buddy Rich had toured extensively with him.

When she toured with Rich in 1960, she and Dennis went to Brazil to see this "new" music style. The trip, she said, was "an introduction to herself." Their close friendship was then shattered in 1965 with his death in Central Park, New York. It's a Quiet Thing (Reprise, 1965) is a monument to him.

King moved and lived in Malibu, California, following Dennis' death. Frank Sinatra has been given three albums on his record label Reprise Records (It's a Quiet Thing (1965), Wild Is Love (1966), and Gemini Changes (1967)): She accepted Frank Sinatra's invitation to record three albums (It's Love (1966), A Quiet Thing (1966), and Gemini Changes (1967).

In Palm Springs, California, King owned a condo. She died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Palm Springs on March 22, 2018.

According to sources, King Charles, a child, grew near a synagogue and was fascinated by the cantor's singing. Some have attributed King's unique singing style to a cantor's memory. The King's voice is noted for its four-octave contralto range. She continued to explore current music trends by researching current music trends, which can be heard and read from the list of songs and composers on more than thirty albums. She moved into new creative fields throughout her career, while still keeping in touch with her musical point of origins in jazz. Her distinctive sound has sparked criticism and detractors.

Morgana King is one of the performers who made popular the film "Imagination" by Ronny Schiff (2002) (Van Heusen, Burke), "Like Someone in Love" (Van Heusen, Burke) and "Will You Be Mine" (Adair, Dennis). In addition, there is the occasional mention of her in fiction.

King has been credited with writing "Moe's Blues," a Beverly Kenney Sings song for Johnny Smith (1955), and "Simply Eloquent," a Monte Oliver album of the same name, which was first released in 1986 by Muse Records. Morgana King Fine Arts Series, a series of seminars, was produced in 1991. Every few months, small groups were brought together for recurring meetings, including Lincoln Center. One of the series's objectives was to educate participants in the use of evaluation techniques. A panel was available to discuss the performances.

"A Taste Of Honey," her first song on the album With A Taste of Honey (Mainstream Records, 1964). "My Funny Valentine," from Everything Must Change (Muse, 1978), and For You, Forevermore, Are Forevermore, 1956) are among her most re-issued songs.

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Career

King headlined clubs, concert halls and hotels, and toured throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and South America; e.g.: Basin Street; bla-bla café; Blue Note; Blue Room at the Supper Club; Café Leon; Club Bali; Cotton Club; Fat Tuesday's; Jilly's; Joe Howard's Place; Kenny's Castaways; Lainie's Room; Les Mouches; Lush Life; Mr. Sam's; Rainbow Grill; Reno Sweeney; Scullers; Sniffen Court; Sweet Basil; The Metropole; Town Hall; the Waterbury Hotels; and Trude Heller's.

A few of the venue performances during her active career: the March 1956 Easter Jazz Festival at Town Hall in New York City; she opened Trude Heller's in July 1957 and returned throughout her career for anniversary performances; four months later, in November 1957, along with seven female jazz instrumentalists, she performed at the Jazz Female concert held at Carnegie Recital Hall; the Schaefer Music Festival in June 1976; A Tribute to Billie Holiday at the Hollywood Bowl in July 1979; the AIDS Research – Benefit Bash in 1983, the Benefit for the Theater Off Park in May 1988; the 2nd annual WPBX Jazz Festival at the Fine Arts Theater in August 1989. While performing in Lisbon, Portugal, she was interviewed by the television show host Henrique Mendes at the television station RTP (the sole television station at that time)."

A limited list of artists who performed and/or recorded with Morgana King over the years of her career are Ben Aronov, Ronnie Bedford, Ed Caccavale (drums), Clifford Carter, Don Costa, Eddie Daniels, Sue Evans, Larry Fallon, Sammy Figueroa, John Kaye (percussion), Helen Keane, Art Koenig, Steve LaSpina, Scott Lee, Jay Leonhart, Ray Mantilla, Bill Mays, Charles McCracken, Ted Nash, Adam Nussbaum, Warren Odze, Joe Puma, Don Rebic, Jack Wilkins, Joe Williams (bass), and Torrie Zito.

Her repertoire contains more than two hundred songs on more than thirty albums. Most of her recordings and re-issues have not remained in the catalogs.

In 1964, she received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. The award went to the Beatles.

The UCLA Music Library's Jimmy Van Heusen papers include a letter dated September 5, 1965 pertaining to "songs… to be given to Morgana King." She recorded three songs by Van Heusen: "Here's That Rainy Day" (on It's a Quiet Thing, 1965), "Like Someone in Love" (on Stardust, 1986; and Another Time, Another Space, 1992) and "Imagination" (on Looking Through The Eyes Of Love, 1998). King's 1967 single "I Have Loved Me A Man" appeared in the US "Easy Listening" survey and the Australian Top 20, according to the Kent Music Report.

Beginning with The Andy Williams Show and The Hollywood Palace in 1964. For more than a decade she performed on television talk and variety shows including The Mike Douglas Show, The Dean Martin Show and The David Frost Show.

King announced her retirement from performing during an engagement at the Cotton Club in Chicago on Friday, December 10, 1993, and added that her recording would not be affected by the decision. She continued to perform after that date at the Ballroom, Maxim's, Mirage Night Club (a benefit jazz session), and Roosevelt Hotel's Cinegrill. Her last film appearance was in the film A Brooklyn State of Mind (1997).

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