WITH ONLY 2 LEADERS
FATHER & SON
The Russ Morgan Orchestra
has performed continuously
since 1935

In the 30's and 40's, "Music In The Morgan Manner" was heard in millions of homes weekly through that wonderful medium of radio remotes. Whether it was from the Biltmore Hotel in New York, the Edgewater Beach Hotel, Aragon and Trianon Ballrooms in Chicago, the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, the Hollywood Palladium, the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, or the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, California, it was "Music In The Morgan Manner" with Russ Morgan, his "wah wah" trombone and his orchestra.
 
During his 20 years of recording for Decca, Russ had five Gold Records ("So Tired", "Cruising Down The River", "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", "Forever and Ever" and "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You") and many of Russ' other famous compositions, such as "Does Your Heart Beat For Me?", "Please Think Of Me", "So Long", "Sweet Eloise", and "Flower Of Dawn" can be heard regularly around the country with his tradition ably carried on in the hands of his son, Jack, whom he loved so dearly.
 
Jack Morgan was born in New York City on August 4, 1940. He began playing trombone when he was 13 years old and became a musician in the Russ Morgan Orchestra at the age of 17.
 

Being the son of a famous bandleader, he traveled all over the country before the family finally settled in Beverly Hills, CA.

At the graduation services of the high school, Jack played a trombone solo before an audience of over a thousand people.This was a "first" for the high school as never before in its history did they allow such entertainment.This, too, was Jack's first appearance as a trombonist!
 
As an active member of the Beverly Hills High School orchestra for four years, Jack formed a group to play local dances from fellow members of the orchestra and this group was so highly succesful that many of their weekends were spent playing for private parties in and around the Los Angeles area.
 
In high school, Jack's main objective was to earn a football scholarship which he received in his senior year. When his father refused to sign the papers, young Jack enlisted in the Army's 63rd Infantry Band in downtown Los Angeles and off he went to Fort Ord, California for infantry training.
 
While home on a weekend pass, Jack overheard his Dad's phone conversation with the first trombone player stating he could not make the job that night due to his wife giving birth. Facetiously, Jack said, "Don't worry Dad, I'll cover for you." Seriously, his dad spun around in the chair and said, "You're darn right you will." Thus, Jack's career with "Music In The Morgan Manner" was launched.
 
For almost twelve years prior Russ' death in 1969, Jack sang and played along side his dad. A member of ASCAP, Jack has had several of his songs published. He had recorded many albums with his father and played instrumentally and sang on all of them. As an outstanding ballroom dancer, Jack has won many awards for his fine performances. This is an important quality in dance music leadership as Jack can sense at once the rhythm of the orchestra and is certain to maintain the tempo that the dancers enjoy most.
 
 
Besides playing trombone and singing, Jack also does vocal arangements for the orchestra. He sings in several languages, and his Spanish vocals have endeared him to all of the Spanish speaking people who frequent the various places where the orchestra appears. Jack has a very personable manner and quick wit.
 
The orchestra appeared at the Top O' The Strip of the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas for thirteen years. They had been hired to open this room in 1965 for an eight week engagement which proved so successful that they remained there for years after.
 

Jack was inducted into the Big Band Hall of Fame in 1997; in conjunction with the first-day issuing of the United States postal "Big Band" stamp series, was presented with an honorary plaque acknowledging his devotion and achievements in continuing the preservation of Big Band music; was proclaimed "Honorary Lieutenant Colonel Aide-de-Camp" of the state of Alabama by (the then governor) George Wallace.

He was honored by the city of Las Vegas when on November 29, 1989 Mayor Ron Lurie proclaimed it "Jack Morgan Day";and became a part of the Congressional Record (106th Congress, Tuesday, May 24, 1999) when the Honorable Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania addressed the House of Representatives in congratulating The Russ Morgan Orchestra for more than sixty years in the entertainment business.
 

Jack's hobbies are gardening, boating, fishing (he is especially pleased with the 480 pound marlin that he caught while on vacation in Hawaii a few years ago) and he likes to consider himself an amateur chef and enjoys cooking and barbecuing. Jack is married to an Illinois native, Bonnie. She works right along with him as a business partner and in special promotions.

The Morgans have three children: Russell (named after his famous grandfather), Jackie Lorman, and Tom. They have three beautiful grandchildren: Daniel, Matthew and Karah. Bonnie and Jack make their home along the Mississippi River in Illinois.

 

And So ...

In theaters, ballrooms, night clubs and hotels

"Music In The Morgan Manner"

Lives On ...

A Second Generation

[Russ' Bio] [Jack's Bio] [Newsletters] [Recordings]
[Special Events] [Tour Schedules] [Email]