Lee Morgan American jazzman, trumpeter Date of Birth: 10.07.1938 Country: USA

Biography of Lee Morgan

Lee Morgan (Edward Lee Morgan), an American jazz musician and trumpeter, was born in 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of four children born to Otto Ricardo and Nettie Beatrice Morgan. At the age of 13, Morgan received his first trumpet as a birthday gift from his sister Ernestine. It quickly became evident that he possessed incredible talent and musicality. By the age of 15, he was already working professionally in Philadelphia, and at 18, he became a musician in Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra.

However, Morgan's stint with the renowned jazz band was short-lived. In 1958, Gillespie was forced to disband his group, and Morgan joined Art Blakey's "The Jazz Messengers." During 1958-1959, Morgan released his albums "The Cooker" and "Candy" under the Blue Note Records label, with whom he had been working for a couple of years prior.

Although a talented musician, Morgan faced the common struggles with drugs that many of his peers did. His drug addiction led him to leave Blakey's group, and for the next few years, he led a tumultuous existence in Philadelphia. Nonetheless, in 1963, Morgan made a successful comeback with his album "The Sidewinder," which became a hit. This period marked the peak of his career, as he followed up with successful albums such as "Search for the New Land" and "Tom Cat" in 1964.

Throughout the 1960s, Morgan released at least 15 albums of his own and participated in numerous projects with other musicians. He experimented with various jazz styles, including modal music, avant-garde jazz, and funk. Morgan's vibrant and unconventional nature made him a dynamic figure in the jazz scene. Unfortunately, his life ended tragically and unexpectedly.

On the evening of February 19, 1972, while performing at the jazz club "Slugs," Morgan's girlfriend or common-law wife, Helen More, confronted him, accusing him of infidelity. Angered, Morgan escorted her out of the club, but she returned, claiming to be cold outside. Morgan gave her his jacket, in which his gun was stored, and attempted to escort her out again. However, Helen reentered the club and shot Morgan in the chest with his own gun. Despite the heavy snowfall that day, Morgan bled to death before the ambulance arrived.

Helen deeply regretted her actions and realized her terrible mistake immediately after the shooting. However, it was too late to undo the tragedy. She was later tried and released from prison in 1978. Helen never discussed the incident with anyone, granting only a few interviews shortly before her death in 1996.

Lee Morgan is remembered as a virtuoso jazz trumpeter, a talented and unique musician. Throughout his short life, he recorded numerous albums as a sideman and over 25 albums with the Blue Note label. He also worked for Vee-Jay, Roulette, Jazzland, and Trip.