Tommy Morgan Explained

Tommy Morgan
Birth Name:Thomas Morgan Edwards
Birth Date:4 December 1932
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genre:Pop music
Occupation:Musician
Instrument:Harmonica
Years Active:1950s–2013
Associated Acts:The Wrecking Crew

Thomas Morgan Edwards (December 4, 1932 – June 23, 2022)[1] was an American harmonicist and session musician, who had been active since the 1950s.[2] He was considered one of the most heard harmonica players in the world, playing in over 500 feature films.[3]

Morgan's extraordinarily prolific career spanned seven decades, and included playing on (and occasionally composing) themes and incidental music for dozens of major Hollywood films, and hundreds of episodes of American television series, including main themes for The Rockford Files and Sanford and Son.[4] Although frequently uncredited in his earlier career (as was typical for session musicians of that era), Morgan also has a huge list of credits in popular music—among the most notable in that field are his prominent contributions to the seminal mid-1960s recordings by The Beach Boys, including the Pet Sounds album, their number one single "Good Vibrations" and the recordings made for their uncompleted Smile project.

He retired after a stroke in late 2013 and died at the age of 89 on June 23, 2022.[5]

Awards

In 2001, Morgan received a Special Lifetime Achievement Award from The Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica.[6]

Collaborations

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: World's Most Heard Harmonica Player Tommy Morgan Dies Aged 89. Harmonica.uk. July 2, 2022.
  2. News: A Harmonica Convergence : Tommy Morgan Brings His Session-Work Talents to Live Performance . Jim . Washburn . . 6 February 1993.
  3. Musician Comments: Tommy Morgan. The Pet Sounds Sessions. The Beach Boys. 1997. Capitol Records. Booklet. http://albumlinernotes.com/Tommy_Morgan.html.
  4. Browne . David . The 100 Greatest TV Theme Songs of All Time . 27 January 2023 . Rolling Stone . 24 November 2022 . That lonesome harmonica solo was played by Tommy Morgan, who also honked the licking stick on the Sanford and Son theme.
  5. Web site: Tommy Morgan, Harmonica Soloist for 'Dances With Wolves,' 'Roots' and Hundreds More Film and TV Scores, Dies at 89 . Variety.com. 2 July 2022 .
  6. Web site: SPAH Award Winners . . September 27, 2016.