Her parents were from Fiumefreddo di Sicilia, Province of Catania, Sicily, Italy. She grew up in New York City with five siblings. Her father, who owned a coal and ice business, played the piano and guitar by ear. Her family experienced a difficult financial period after her father died.
Around the age of thirteen her vocal gifts were recognized when she was overheard singing the aria "I'll See You Again" from Noël Coward's operetta Bitter Sweet. At age 16 she developed a love for big bands. A scholarship to the Metropolitan School of Music soon followed.
Her professional singing career began at age sixteen as Morgana King. When she sang in a Greenwich Village nightclub in 1953, a record label executive took interest after being impressed with the unique phrasing and multi-octave range. Three years later in 1956, her first album, For You, For Me, For Evermore, was released.
In the first appearance of Leonard G. Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz (1960), Morgana King stated that her ambition was "… to become a dramatic actress." She began her acting career in The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, as Carmela Corleone, wife of Don Vito Corleone. In the film, she sang the song "Luna mezzo mare". King appeared as herself in the television documentary The Godfather: Behind the Scenes (1971). She reprised the role in The Godfather: Part II (1974), where her character dies aged 62, due to natural causes.
King headlined clubs, concert halls and hotels, and toured throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and South America.
A few of the venue performances during her active career: the March 1956 Easter Jazz Festival at Town Hall in New York City; she opened Trude Heller's in July 1957 and returned throughout her career for anniversary performances; four months later, in November 1957, along with seven female jazz instrumentalists, she performed at the Jazz Female concert held at Carnegie Recital Hall; the Schaefer Music Festival in June 1976; A Tribute to Billie Holiday at the Hollywood Bowl in July 1979; the AIDS Research – Benefit Bash in 1983, the Benefit for the Theater Off Park in May 1988; the 2nd annual WPBX Jazz Festival at the Fine Arts Theater in August 1989. While performing in Lisbon, Portugal, she was interviewed by the television show host Henrique Mendes at the television station RTP (the sole television station at that time)."
A limited list of artists who performed and/or recorded with Morgana King over the years of her career are Ben Aronov, Ronnie Bedford, Ed Caccavale (drums), Clifford Carter, Don Costa, Eddie Daniels, Sue Evans, Larry Fallon, Sammy Figueroa, John Kaye (percussion), Helen Keane, Art Koenig, Steve LaSpina, Scott Lee, Jay Leonhart, Ray Mantilla, Bill Mays, Charles McCracken, Ted Nash, Adam Nussbaum, Warren Odze, Joe Puma, Don Rebic, Jack Wilkins, Joe Williams (bass), and Torrie Zito.
Her repertoire contains more than two hundred songs on more than thirty albums. Most of her recordings and re-issues have not remained in the catalogs.
In 1964, she received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. The award went to the Beatles.
The UCLA Music Library's Jimmy Van Heusen papers include a letter dated September 5, 1965 pertaining to "songs… to be given to Morgana King."[86] She recorded three songs by Van Heusen: "Here's That Rainy Day" (on It's a Quiet Thing, 1965), "Like Someone in Love" (on Stardust, 1986; and Another Time, Another Space, 1992) and "Imagination" (on Looking Through The Eyes Of Love, 1998). King's 1967 single "I Have Loved Me A Man" appeared in the US "Easy Listening" survey and the Australian Top 20, according to the Kent Music Report.
Morgana King appeared in five films, including The Godfather Parts I and II (1972 and 1974).
Beginning with The Andy Williams Show and The Hollywood Palace in 1964. For more than a decade she performed on television talk and variety shows including The Mike Douglas Show, The Dean Martin Show and The David Frost Show.
King announced her retirement from performing during an engagement at the Cotton Club in Chicago on Friday, December 10, 1993, and added that her recording would not be affected by the decision. She continued to perform after that date at the Ballroom, Maxim's, Mirage Night Club (a benefit jazz session), and Roosevelt Hotel's Cinegrill. Her last film appearance was in the film A Brooklyn State of Mind (1997).
Morgana King married twice. Her first marriage (when she was 17 years old) was to jazz trumpeter Tony Fruscella (1927–1969), which ended in divorce after nine years; they had a daughter, Graysan (1950–2008). During their marriage, the couple frequently had "Sunday dinner with Charlie Parker and his family."
Her second marriage, in 1961, was to jazz trombonist Willie Dennis (né William DeBerardinis; 1926–1965), whom she met during an off-night visit to the Birdland Jazz Club where she went to hear Sam Donahue's group. He had performed with both Gerry Mulligan and Charles Mingus and recorded the 1953 album release, Four Trombones on Mingus' record label, Debut Records. He had toured extensively with Benny Goodman, Woody Herman and Buddy Rich.
She traveled to Brazil with Dennis to experience this "new" music style when he toured with Rich in 1960. She said the experience was "an introduction to myself." Their close collaboration was suddenly shattered in 1965 with his death from an automobile accident in New York's Central Park. It's a Quiet Thing (Reprise, 1965) is a memorial to him.
After Dennis's death, King relocated and lived for more than two decades in Malibu, California. She accepted Frank Sinatra's offer to record three albums on his record label Reprise Records (It's A Quiet Thing (1965), Wild Is Love (1966) and Gemini Changes (1967)).
King's voice is notable for its four-octave range. She continued to pursue new forms of expression and presentation by exploring current music trends, which can be heard and read from the list of songs and composers on more than thirty albums. She ventured into new creative areas throughout her career all the while keeping contact with her musical point of origin in jazz. Her distinctive sound has its criticism and detractors.
In literature, the Library of Jazz Standards by Ronny Schiff (2002) recognizes Morgana King as one of the performers who made famous the songs "Imagination" (Van Heusen, Burke), "Like Someone in Love" (Van Heusen, Burke) and "Will You Be Mine" (Adair, Dennis). Also, there is the occasional mention of her in fiction.
King has been credited with composing "Moe's Blues", a song recorded by Beverly Kenney on Beverly Kenney Sings for Johnny Smith (1955), and "Simply Eloquent", with Monte Oliver, which appears on an album of the same title, initially released in 1986 by Muse Records. In 1991, she produced a set of seminars called Morgana King Fine Arts Series. The seminars brought together small groups for recurring meetings every few months held at select venues including Lincoln Center. One of the functions of the series was to familiarize participants with performance methodologies. There was a panel available to critique the performances.
Her signature song is "A Taste Of Honey", originally released on the album With A Taste of Honey (Mainstream Records, 1964). Her most re-issued songs are "My Funny Valentine", from Everything Must Change (Muse, 1978), and the title track of For You, For Me, For Evermore (EmArcy Records, 1956).
The Look Of Love
Morgana King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is in your eyes
A look your smile can't
disguise
The look of love
Is saying so much more than
Just words could every say
Well it takes my breath away
[Chorus]
I can hardly wait to hold you
Feel my arms around you
How long I have waited
Waited just to love you
Now that I have found you
You've got the look of love
It's on your face
A look that time can't erase
Baby be mine, tonight
Let this be just the start of
So many nights like this
Let's take a lovers vow
And seal it with a kiss
[Chorus]
Don't ever go
Don't ever go
I love you so
The look of love
Let this be just the start of
So many nights like this
Let's take a lover's vow
And baby we'll seal it with a kiss
[Chorus]
Morgana King's "The Look of Love" is a romantic ballad that expresses the power of nonverbal communication. The opening lines suggest that the singer is enraptured by her lover's gaze: "The look of love is in your eyes, a look your smile can’t disguise." The look goes beyond words; it's an unspoken connection that conveys many things, including the depth of one's feelings. The singer's heart is moved by what it has heard, and it takes her breath away. A chorus follows these lines, emphasizing the longing to hold the one she loves and to have them be hers tonight.
The second verse continues with the theme of this powerful, unspoken emotional connection. The singer remarks that the look of love is something that time cannot erase. The singer wants to seize the opportunity to promise a lifetime of happy moments with her partner. The chorus repeats, affirming her devotion and expressing her desire for the two of them to become one. The closing lines capture the depth of her feeling, as she begs her lover never to leave: "Don't ever go, don't ever go, I love you so, the look of love."
Overall, this song is about the intensity of emotions that people feel when they fall in love or find themselves in a deep relationships, how the mere expression on their partner's face can say so much more than words, and the hope of a love that will endure "many nights like this" and that will never end.
Line by Line Meaning
The look of love
The way your eyes light up when you look at me with such affection.
Is in your eyes
I can see the warmth you feel for me in the way you look at me.
A look your smile can't disguise
Even if you try to hide it with a smile, the love in your eyes still shines through.
Is saying so much more than
Your eyes express a depth of feelings that words could never fully capture.
Just words could every say
No matter how many words I use to describe it, there is no substitute for the look of love.
And what my heart has heard
My heart feels and understands the love that your eyes are expressing.
Well it takes my breath away
Your love is so powerful it leaves me breathless and in awe.
I can hardly wait to hold you
I long to feel the warmth of your embrace.
Feel my arms around you
I want to hold you close and keep you safe.
How long I have waited
I have been waiting so long for someone like you.
Waited just to love you
I have been waiting for the chance to give you all my love.
Now that I have found you
Now that I have finally met you, my heart is full of joy and gratitude.
You've got the look of love
The way you look at me shows that you are deeply in love with me.
It's on your face
Your face clearly shows the love that you feel for me.
A look that time can't erase
The love that I see in your eyes will never fade or diminish, even as time goes by.
Baby be mine, tonight
I want you to be mine tonight, and to hold you close.
Let this be just the start of
I hope that this moment of love is just the beginning of something truly special.
So many nights like this
I hope that we can have many more nights like this filled with love and closeness.
Let's take a lovers vow
Let's pledge our love and commitment to each other.
And seal it with a kiss
Let's celebrate our love with a tender and passionate kiss.
Don't ever go
Please never leave me, I need you by my side always.
I love you so
I love you more than words could ever describe.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AGS64
🌹🌹🌹
@virginiaechevarria5654
Only a box like this can heighten Don Costa bases Nova.
@stephaniemurria5534
Nice. One of her great albums was "Wild Is Love. Every track is beautifully done. My late dad loved her. I remember listening to her when I was 7 or 8. Can't stop now.
@bradly2007
Gorgeous bossa nova arrangement perfectly frames sublime Morgana King vocal, entire Gemini Changes album is a classic!
@sheilabloom6735
bradly2007 My favorite.
@lily.b7602
RIP Morgana KING 😢
@azman.s
Lovely voice. Sleep well in peace.
@antoniojimenez1133
Personal voz y fenomenal arreglo de Don Costa. Muchas gracias!
@sheilabloom6735
R.I.P.
@desperatetimes5873
A real voice as opposed to what passes as singers today.