Lee Morgan

About Lee Morgan

Morgan was born in Philadelphia in 1938 and took up trumpet at thirteen after initial interest in vibraphone, studying briefly under Clifford Brown. He joined Dizzy Gillespie's Big Band at eighteen and began recording for Blue Note in 1956, establishing himself as both a reliable sideman and an assertive composer. His tenure with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1958 to 1961 proved formative, during which he played on essential recordings like Moanin' and convinced Blakey to bring in tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. These years saw Morgan develop as a soloist while contributing original compositions such as "The Midget", "Haina", and "Blue Lace" to the Messengers' catalog.

Morgan's 1963 recording of "The Sidewinder" became an unexpected crossover success, cracking the pop and R&B charts in 1964 and even being used without his permission in Chrysler television spots. Though Morgan viewed the tune as filler and felt his playing had progressed further on the avant-garde Evolution session recorded a month earlier, Blue Note capitalized on the boogaloo formula, encouraging Morgan to repeat it with tracks like "Cornbread" and "Yes I Can, No You Can't". Beyond this commercial vein, Morgan continued documenting his range: Search for the New Land reached the R&B top twenty, while he recorded steadily as a sideman for Wayne Shorter, Hank Mobley, Stanley Turrentine, and Joe Henderson. His recording life spanned from 1956 until his death in February 1972, with 25 albums released as a leader on Blue Note alone. The Groove Hunter currently tracks 4 editions of Morgan's work, including The Sidewinder Blue Note Essentials Series and Lee-Way Blue Note Classic Edition.