Audrey Morris

Audrey Morris
Audrey Morris
Background information
Born	November 12, 1928; Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	April 1, 2018 (aged 89); Chicago
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Singer
Instrument	Piano
Website	audreymorris.com

Audrey Morris (November 12, 1928 – April 1, 2018) was an American singer and pianist who specialized in jazz ballads.

Biography

Morris was born on November 12, 1928, in Chicago. Morris grew up on the South Side of Chicago and had classical piano lessons in her childhood.^[1] Through the radio broadcasts of Your Hit Parade, she developed an interest in songs. In her school days she wrote lyrics. Her idols included Billie Holiday, Lee Wiley, Mildred Bailey, and Peggy Lee.^[2]

In 1950, she began performing in the Capitol Lounge and four years later began singing at Mister Kelly's. She recorded her first album in 1955 for the RCA sub-label "X" (Bistro Ballads, with Johnny Pate); the following year for Bethlehem Records (The Voice of Audrey Morris with arrangements by Marty Paich).

She was offered the opportunity to record an album of film theme music for Warner Brothers. In the following years, she continued to perform locally. She was the leader of a trio at London House, a jazz piano club. In the late 1960s, she limited her performances to her family. In 1981 she had another engagement at Palmer House.^[3]

In 1985, she released the album Afterthoughts (with Stu Genovese). In the field of jazz, she was involved between 1955 and 2001 in twelve recording sessions.^[4]