Jaye P. Morgan, one of the most successful American singers of the 1950s and a charismatic television entertainer, died Monday at age 94. According to her longtime friend and attorney, Mark Sendroff, the cause was natural causes. In recent years, Morgan lived in Longview, Washington, with her nephew and niece.
Longview is a small and relatively affordable city in southwestern Washington, about 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon. Unlike the larger and rapidly growing Seattle, it has an industrial heritage, less dense development and a quieter pace of life. There is no precise public information about why Morgan chose Longview; peace and quiet, housing costs and proximity to nature were likely important factors.
In 1955, Morgan had five hits, including “That’s All I Want From You” and “The Longest Walk.” Her songs “Danger! Heartbreak Ahead,” “If You Don’t Want My Love” and “Pepper-Hot Baby” also reached the top 20. She recorded duets with Perry Como, including “Two Lost Souls,” while her collaboration with Eddy Arnold, “Mutual Admiration Society,” reached No. 47 on the Billboard chart.
Morgan later became a regular guest on popular television programs, including “The Tonight Show” and shows hosted by Merv Griffin, Dick Cavett and Mike Douglas. She also appeared in the series “The Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island.” But she became widely known through her participation in the comedy program “The Gong Show,” where beginning in 1976 she judged contestants’ performances alongside Jamie Farr and Rip Taylor.
The program was part of the popular 1970s trend known as “anti-television” — entertainment that parodied serious competitions and traditional variety-show formats. Amateur performers presented the most unusual acts, and a judge could stop a poor performance by striking a gong. The winner received a check for the deliberately strange amount of $516.32. There is no reliable evidence of a specific cultural or historical reference behind the figure; most likely, its precision itself heightened the show’s absurd humor.
In one episode, Morgan unexpectedly opened her shirt, exposing her breasts, during a performance by dancing stagehand Gene Gene the Dancing Machine. The scandalous moment became one of the program’s defining images. NBC canceled the show in 1978 amid declining ratings, audience fatigue with the format and reputational problems following host Chuck Barris’ departure. Another network later revived the program.
“It paid well and gave me tremendous exposure. I loved it,” Morgan told the Los Angeles Times in a 1992 interview. The New York Times noted that her television improvisations made her better known as an entertainer and distinctive personality than as a singer, although her eccentricity was also evident in her musical style. Television greatly expanded her audience and extended her public career, but over time, for many viewers, her image as a colorful participant in comedy shows overshadowed Morgan’s success on the music charts in the 1950s.
Morgan also appeared in films, including “The All-American Boy” with Jon Voight, “The Gong Show Movie,” “Night Patrol,” “Home Alone 2” and George Clooney’s “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.” She appeared on “The Muppet Show” and “The Odd Couple,” and toured the country in the musical “Sugar Babies.”
Mary Margaret Morgan was born in a log cabin in Mancos, Colorado. At age 3, she began performing in a family vaudeville act with her parents, sister and five brothers. After her father died in 1945, the act disbanded, but Morgan resumed singing professionally at 17. In 1950, she joined the Frank De Vol Orchestra.
Her career included her own television show, several music albums and regular television appearances. Morgan was married and divorced three times. She is survived by her son, Paul Kane.
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