Music Appreciation

Tanuki

(14,918 posts) Tue Jul 5, 2022, 05:50 AM Jul 2022

RIP prolific harmonica player Tommy Morgan...soloist in 900 movie soundtracks

https://www.google.com/amp/s/movieweb.com/tommy-morgan-dead-at-89/amp/

"A musical legend of both the silver and small screen has danced his way out of the world. Tommy Morgan, a harmonica soloist, has passed away at age 89. This news comes from Variety.

Morgan is one of those names who had a hand in a large chunk of the film and television industry, but he was also a name that was rarely spoken of. This is because of the instrument he mastered, the harmonica. Arguably, his most well known contribution was to the soundtrack of Dances With Wolves and Roots. But those were just two names in a crowd. Morgan has had consistent work dating all the way back to the 1950s. Variety estimates that more people have heard his harmonica than that of any other player of the instrument!

Another notable example of Morgan’s work is in Sanford and Son. Morgan’s harmonica playing can be heard in the theme song by Quincy Jones. His harmonica can also be heard in the various scores and soundtracks of other shows. According to Morgan’s website, his credits include The Carol Burnett Show, The Dukes of Hazard, Family Guy, Gunsmoke, Matlock, The Simpsons, and more! His most notable television work is in Emmy-winning score for Roots, along with its sequel Roots: The New Generations.
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When it came to the big screen, Morgan earned credits in more than 900 theatrical and television movies. Among the movies with his name on them are The Apple Dumpling Gang, Blazing Saddles, My Fair Lady, Ratatouille, Seven Bridges for Seven Brothers, The Shawshank Redemption, Smokey and the Bandit, Free Willy, The Godfather III, and Steel Magnolias. If you heard a harmonica in a Hollywood movie, chances are it could have been Morgan’s.

Morgan’s career, of course, had a firm root in the music industry as well. His harmonica can be heard in the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations”, the Carpenters’ “Rainy Day and Mondays”, and Linda Ronstadt’s “Skylark”. He also has credits in recordings with artists such as Randy Newman, Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Olivia Newton-John, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, and Dolly Parton. At the 2017 National Association of Music Merchants, Morgan gave an oral history, sharing the following"...(more)