Jaye P. Morgan


Jaye P. Morgan is a retired American popular music singer, actress, and game show panelist.

Early life

Morgan was born in Mancos in Montezuma County in far southwestern Colorado. Her family moved to California by the time she was in high school. Morgan had six siblings; five brothers and one sister. In the late 1940s, at Verdugo Hills High School in the Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles, she served as class treasurer and sang at school assemblies, accompanied by her brother on guitar.

1950s

In 1950, a year after her graduation from high school, Morgan made a recording of "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" issued by Derby Records, which made it to #26 on the U.S. Billboard record chart. Soon after, she received an RCA Victor recording contract, and she had five hits in one year, including her biggest hit "That's All I Want from You", which reached #3 on the chart. Other notable hits included "The Longest Walk" and "Pepper Hot Baby". In 1954, she married Michael Baiano. She joined MGM Records in 1959 after spending the previous six years with RCA Victor.
From 1954 to 1955, Morgan was a vocalist on the ABC television series show Stop the Music. In November 1955, the British music magazine, NME, reported that Morgan was the top female vocalist in the U.S. Cash Box poll.
In 1956, she had her own show, The Jaye P. Morgan Show, and made guest appearances on a number of other variety shows. She was a charter member of the Robert Q. Lewis "gang" on Lewis's weekday program on CBS, and was featured on a special episode of The Jackie Gleason Show in which Lewis's entire company substituted for the vacationing Gleason. In 1958, Morgan appeared on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom. On October 6, 1960, she guest starred on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.

1960s and 1970s

In 1961, Morgan was cast as Sally Dwight in the episode "Money and the Minister" of the CBS anthology series, General Electric Theater, hosted by Ronald Reagan. In 1962, she played Patty Maxwell in "Patti's Tune" of the CBS military sitcom/drama Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper. That same year, she was cast as Kitty Flanders in "That's Showbiz" on NBC's The Joey Bishop Show. In 1964, Morgan was cast as Ruth Evans in the episode "Sunday Father" of the NBC medical drama, The Eleventh Hour.
She spent considerable time in the 1960s making nightclub appearances. In 1966, she guest starred on CBS's My Three Sons as fading singer Claudia Farrell in the episode entitled "A Falling Star".
In 1973, Morgan played herself in the episode "The Songwriter" of the sitcom, The Odd Couple. She appeared as Magda Valentine in the film The All-American Boy, and continued to play small roles in films such as Loose Shoes, Night Patrol and .
Morgan guest starred on The Muppet Show in which she and Dr. Teeth sang "That Old Black Magic."

Game show panelist

From 1976 to 1978, Morgan was a regular panelist on the popular game/variety show The Gong Show, from which she was ultimately fired for flashing her breasts. She also appeared on Rhyme and Reason and Match Game and in the 1980 "behind-the-scenes" movie version of The Gong Show. She also appeared on the Playboy Channel game show Everything Goes, and with her former Gong partner Jamie Farr on Hollywood Squares Game Show Week II in 2004.
Morgan appeared as herself in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, a 2003 semi-biographical film about the life of Chuck Barris, creator of The Gong Show as well as television game shows The Dating Game, and The Newlywed Game.

Singles

Albums

YearTitleLabel and Number
1953Jaye P. Morgan and Orchestra Royale 18122
1954Jaye P. Morgan and Orchestra Royale 18147
1954Jaye P. Morgan and Orchestra Royale 18162
1955Jaye P. Morgan sings with Frank DeVol’s OrchestraAllegro Royale 1604
1956Jaye P. MorganRCA Victor LPM-1155
1958Just You, Just MeRCA Victor LPM-1682
1959Slow & EasyMGM E3774
1960Up NorthMGM E383
1960Down SouthMGM E3867
1961That Country Sound MGM E3940
1962Life Is Just A Bowl Of CherriesTops Mayfair 9739
1970What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your LifeBeverly Hills BHS-24
1976Jaye P. Morgan Candor C-1001
1983Lately!Palace PLP-S6540
1995Jaye P. Morgan & Kaye Ballard – Long Time Friends AVL95320