[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          RUSS MORGAN HONORED

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 25, 1999

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Russ 
Morgan Orchestra as it celebrates more than sixty years in the 
entertainment business. I am pleased and proud to bring this worthy 
milestone to the attention of my colleagues.
  Born in Scranton, Russ Morgan grew up in my hometown of Nanticoke. 
After working in the coal mines to earn money for his music education, 
he began playing the piano at a Scranton theater for extra money at the 
age of 14. Morgan went on to play trombone with a local band called the 
``Scranton Sirens,'' with notable colleagues like Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy 
Dorsey, and Billy Lustig. When he was 18, Russ left Pennsylvania for 
New York City to find his fortune in the music business. By the time he 
was 25, he was arranging music for John Phillip Sousa and Victor 
Herbert. After playing for Paul Specht and touring Europe with Specht's 
orchestra, Morgan went to Detroit to work with Jean Goldkette on 
forming a new band. There, he was reunited with the Dorsey brothers and 
some of his other associates from his early career. Eventually, Morgan 
became Musical Director of WXYZ in Detroit with his own very popular 
show. He also showcased his classical talent by arranging for the 
Detroit Symphony.
  At about this time in his career, Morgan was sidelined by a serious 
automobile accident that forced him to spend months in the hospital. 
Upon his recovery, he returned to New York City to restart his career 
by arranging music for all the famous night clubs of the time and many 
Broadway shows. In 1934, he worked at Brunswick Records, where he met 
his wife and became friends with the famous Rudy Vallee. Morgan was 
encouraged to form his own orchestra and Vallee got him his first 
engagement at the famous Biltmore Hotel. Following an impressive 4 
years at the Biltmore, Morgan played on television and at most of the 
famous hotels and resorts of the era. On one recording he made during 
that period, he used a quartet that would later become the famous Ames 
Brothers. In 1965, with sons Jack and David in the ensemble, Russ 
Morgan began a long engagement in Las Vegas that was cut short only by 
his death in 1969.
  Mr. Speaker, the Russ Morgan Orchestra, now in the able hands of his 
son Jack, has been bringing us wonderful music for over six decades. 
The ensemble's founder never forgot his roots as a young coal miner in 
Northeastern Pennsylvania. I extend my best wishes for continued 
success to Jack and the Morgan family as they carry on the legacy of 
the great Russ Morgan on this milestone anniversary. What greater 
tribute could his beloved son pay him, than to carry on his music to 
new generations.

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