Florence Catherine Currier (May 3, 1924 – August 4, 2025), known professionally as Jane Morgan, was an American singer and recording artist of traditional pop. Morgan initially found success in France and the UK before achieving recognition in the US, receiving six gold records. She was a frequent nightclub and Broadway performer, and also appeared numerous times on American television, both as a singer and as a dramatic performer.
Early life
Morgan was born in Newton, Massachusetts, on May 3, 1924. She was one of five children born to musicians Olga (Brandenburg) and Bertram Currier. At five she began vocal lessons while continuing piano lessons. During the summers, she took on child roles and appeared in theater productions at the Kennebunkport Playhouse in Kennebunkport, Maine, which her brother, Robert Currier, had founded.
In 1941, she was the Treasurer of the Kennebunkport Playhouse. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, she was accepted into New York's Juilliard School of Music. Intending to become an opera singer, she studied opera by day and performed whenever possible.
Early career
Morgan sang popular songs in nightclubs and small restaurants, and at bar mitzvahs and other private parties, to help pay her tuition expenses at Juilliard. Orchestra leader Art Mooney changed her name to Jane Morgan by taking the first name of one of his vocalists, Janie Ford, and the last name of another, Marian Morgan. She returned to Europe in 1954 to appear in a London West End review with comedian Vic Oliver, and later at the Savoy Theatre and London Palladium.
American success
Morgan left her agent and began singing at Lou Walters' Latin Quarter in New York. Walters kept Morgan at the Latin Quarter for a year, when she was noticed by Dave Kapp, who had recently founded a new recording label, Kapp Records.
In 1958, Kapp released "The Day the Rains Came" (a French song by Gilbert Bécaud called "Le jour où la pluie viendra") with Morgan singing in English on one side and in French on the other. She was featured on the 10 November 1959, jazz special, Timex-All-Star Jazz III.
Middle years
Morgan performed in musicals on the stage and Broadway. She appeared in Can-Can, The King and I, Kiss Me, Kate, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Bells Are Ringing, Anniversary Waltz, Affairs of State, Hello, Dolly and others.
Morgan's agent died in 1959 and her new manager, Jerry Weintraub, was able to obtain bookings for her in many noted US venues. Morgan divorced Larry Stith in 1964 and married Weintraub, more than a decade her junior, in 1965; the couple later adopted three daughters. Morgan also had a stepson Michael from Weintraub's first marriage.
In 1960, she recorded the English-language version of an Italian song, Romantica.
The only other time Morgan had recorded without formal arrangements was on her hit single, "Fascination"; nevertheless, she was reportedly dubbed "The Countryest Girl in Nashville" by the crew.
On December 10, 2009, Morgan performed at the UNICEF Ball honoring her husband, Jerry Weintraub, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, singing "Ten Cents a Dance" and "Big Spender". Known as Jane Weintraub, she divides her time between Malibu, California, Palm Springs, California and Kennebunkport, Maine. She owned Blueberry Hill Farm in Kennebunkport, Maine from 1958.
Morgan celebrated her 100th birthday on May 3, 2024. She died at her home in Naples, Florida, on August 4, 2025, at the age of 101.
Notable associates
Morgan performed for French President Charles de Gaulle, and for five U.S. Presidents: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush. She toured with Jack Benny and John Raitt, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry; two of her RCA singles hit the Billboard country charts in 1970.
Morgan appeared in such television specials as Highways of Melody 1961; The Bell Telephone Hour: A Trip to Christmas (1961); The Bell Telephone Hour: Christmas Program (1965); The Bell Telephone Hour: Masterpieces and Music (1966); Coliseum (1967); Kraft Music Hall: Broadway's Best (1969) and Operation: Entertainment (1969).
She starred in three of her own television specials: The Jane Morgan Hour (1959); Voice of Firestone: An Evening in Paris (1959), and The Jane Morgan Show (1968), and made several dramatic television appearances, including The Web: Rehearsal for Death (1952); Peter Gunn: Down the Drain (1961); and It Takes a Thief: The Suzie Simone Caper (1970).
! US AC<br />
! UK Singles Chart<br />))
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| rowspan="5"| 1958
| "Only One Love" / "I've Got Bells in My Heart"
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| "Enchanted Island" / "Once More My Love Once More"
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| "The Day The Rains Came" / "Le Jour Ou La Pluie Viendra" (Sung in French)
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| "You'll Never Walk Alone" / "I May Never Pass This Way Again"
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| "To Love And Be Loved" / "If Only I Could Live My Life Again"
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| rowspan="4"| 1959
| "Love Is Like Champagne" / "To Each His Own"
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| "With Open Arms" <small>(#31CAN)</small>/ "I Can't Begin to Tell You"
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| "I'm in Love" / "Was It Day, Was It Night"
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| "Happy Anniversary" / "C'est La Vie C'est L'Amour"
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| rowspan="5"| 1960
| "My Love Doesn't Love Me at All" / "The Bells of St. Mary's"
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| "The Bells of St. Mary's" / "Ballad of Lady Jane"
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| "I Am A Heart" / "Romantica"
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| "Lord And Master" / "Where's The Boy (I Never Met)"
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| "Somebody" / "The Angry Sea"
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| rowspan="4"| 1961
| "In Jerusalem" / "In Jerusalem" (French version)
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| "Love Makes The World Go Round" / "He Makes Me Feel I'm Lovely"
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| "Homesick For New England" / "It Takes Love"
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| "Blue Hawaii" / "Moon River"
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| rowspan="2"|1962
| "Forever My Love" / "What Now My Love"
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| "Ask Me to Dance" / "Waiting For Charley to Come Home"
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| 1963
| "Bless 'Em All" / "Does Goodnight Mean Goodbye?"
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| rowspan="5"|1964
| "The Last Time I Saw Paris"
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| "From Russia with Love" / "The Song from Moulin Rouge"
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| "C'est si bon" / "Once Upon a Summertime"
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| "Dominique" / "Funny World"
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| "Poor People of Paris" / "Funny World"
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| rowspan="4"|1965
| "After the Fall" / "Oh How I Lie"
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| "Maybe" / "Walking the Streets in the Rain"
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| "Side by Side" / "Till I Waltz Again with You"
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| "Little Hands" / "Everyone Come to My Party"
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| rowspan="4"| 1966
| "I Will Wait for You" / "Love Me True"
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| "1-2-3" / "Kiss Away"
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| "Elusive Butterfly" / "Good Lovin'"
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| "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" / "Now and Forever"
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| rowspan="4"| 1967
| "The Three Bells" / "I Want to Be With You"
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| "Somebody Someplace" / "This Is My World Without You"
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| "I Promise You" / "Him's a Dope"
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| "The Marvelous Toy" / "Smile"
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| rowspan="3"| 1968
| "Masquerade" / "Smile"
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| "A Child" / "My Funny Valentine"
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| "Look What You've Done to Me" / "There's Nothing Else in My Mind"
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| rowspan="3"| 1969
| "Marry Me! Marry Me!" / "Three Rest Stops"
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| "Traces" / "Where Do I Go?"
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| "Congratulations, I Guess" / "All of My Laughter"
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| rowspan="3"| 1970
| "A Girl Named Johnny Cash" / "Charley" (US Country hit)
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| "The First Day" / "I'm Only a Woman" (US Country hit)
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| "He Gives Me Love" / "He's Never Too Busy"
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| 1971
| "Jamie Boy" / "Things of Life"
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Albums (original vinyl)
{|class=wikitable
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! rowspan="2"|No.
! rowspan="2"|Year
! rowspan="2"|Album title
! colspan="2"|Peak positions
! rowspan="2"|Label and Album Number
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! US BB<br />
! US CB<br />
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| 1
| 1956
| The American Girl from Paris
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| 2
| 1957
| Fascination
| style="text-align:center;"| 13
| style="text-align:center;"| 14
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| 3
| rowspan="5"| 1958
| All the Way
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| 4
| Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
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| 5
| Jane Morgan (repackage of The American Girl from Paris)
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| 6
| The Day the Rains Came
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| 7
| Chante Pour Ses Amis Canadiens
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| 8
| rowspan="3"| 1959
| Jane in Spain
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| 9
| Great Songs from Great Shows of the Century
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| 10
| Broadway in Stereo
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| 11
| rowspan="2"| 1960
| Jane Morgan Time (Compilation of singles)
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| 12
| The Ballads of Lady Jane
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| 13
| rowspan="4"| 1961
| The Second Time Around
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| 14
| Great Golden Hits (Compilation)
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| 15
| Big Hits from Broadway
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| 16
| Love Makes the World Go 'Round
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| 17
| rowspan="3"| 1962
| At the Cocoanut Grove
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| 18
| More Golden Hits (Compilation)
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| 19
| What Now My Love?
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| 20
| rowspan="2"| 1963
| Greatest Hits (Compilation)
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| 21
| Serenades the Victors
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| 22
| rowspan="2"| 1964
| More Greatest Hits (Compilation)
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| 23
| The Last Time I Saw Paris
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| 24
| rowspan="2"| 1965
| In My Style
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| 25
| Jane Morgan in Gold – Today’s Hits…Tomorrow’s Golden Favorites
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| style="text-align:center;"| 97
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| 26
| rowspan="2"| 1966
| Jane Morgan Album
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| 27
| Fresh Flavor
| style="text-align:center;"| 134
| style="text-align:center;"| —
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| 28
| 1967
| Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
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| 29
| 1968
| A Jane Morgan Happening
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| 30
| rowspan="2"| 1969
| Marry Me! Marry Me!
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| 31
| Traces of Love
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| 32
| 1970
| In Nashville
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- This list does not include re-releases.
Albums (CD)
{|class=wikitable
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! Year
! Album title
! Label and Album Number
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| 1990
| Jane Morgan – Greatest Hits
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| 1998
| Fascination: The Jane Morgan Collection
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| 2000
| In My Style/Fresh Flavor
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| 2001
| Fascination
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| 2007
| An American Songbird in Paris
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| 2008
| Jane Morgan Sings Showstoppers
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| 2008
| The American Girl From Paris Jane Morgan
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| 2009
| Fascination: The Ultimate Collection
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| 2009
| Jane Morgan Sings Popular Favorites
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See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Kaplan, Mike. Variety Who's Who in Show Business, Garland Publishing Inc., 1983,
- Kapp Records, liner notes, 1957–1962
- Epic Records liner notes, 1965–1967
- RCA Records liner notes, 1969–1970
- Lax, Roger, and Frederick Smith. The Great Song Thesaurus, Oxford University Press, 1989,
- Maltin, Leonard. Movie and Video Guide 1995, Penguin Books Ltd., 1994
- McAleer, David. The All Music Book of Hit Singles, Miller Freeman Books, 1994,
- Murrells, Joseph. Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s, Arco Publishing Inc., 1984,
- Osborne, Jerry. Rockin Records, Osborne Publications, 1999,
- Francis D. McKinley interview with Jane Morgan on 22 May 2000, and subsequent article
External links
- UNICEF Ball honoring Jerry Weintraub
- Huffington Post: Weintraub Salute