Jaye P. Morgan

Jaye P. Morgan, born Mary Margaret Morgan in 1932, Mancos, Colorado, USA. Morgan performed with the Morgan Family Variety Troupe until her father's death in 1945. At 18, her voice had matured to the husky contralto that would land her a job as featured singer with Frank de Vol's orchestra and then that of Hank Penny, an RCA recording artist.

Through Penny, the company signed Morgan who reached a wider audience during two years of weekly radio exposure on New York's Robert Q. Lewis Show and, less regularly, on the nationally transmitted Stop The Music. After 'That's All I Want From You' came close to topping the US chart in 1954, 'Danger! Heartbreak Ahead', 'The Longest Walk' and 'Pepper-Hot Baby' were smashes the following year - as were 'Chee Chee Oo Chee' and 'Two Lost Souls' (from Broadway musical Damn Yankees ) - duets with Perry Como.

However, a link-up on record with Eddy Arnold proved a flop, and that Christmas, 'If You Don't Want My Love' barely scraped into the Top 40. Subsequently, though still planting feet in both the C&W and pop camps, only 1959's 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' and a 1960 version of Johnny Cash 's 'I Walk The Line' could be even remotely classed as hits'.

Nevertheless, established as an all-American show business 'personality', she would appear on television variety spectaculars and talk programmes as late as the mid-80s.