Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – May 12, 2024

Bucking the trend is not one of the easiest things to do, especially if you want to make it in the music industry.

Our Mother’s Day tribute goes out to a female artist who, in the late 50s, did just that – continued to record pop music and compete with Rock & Roll.

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Born Florence Currier in Newton, Massachusetts in 1920 to dedicated and accomplished musicians, this young girl was destined to become an international star in Europe well before her thirtieth birthday.

At the outset she was accepted into the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York City with the goal of becoming an opera singer.

In the 40s, she began singing popular songs in nightclubs, and at private parties, bar mitzvahs, and small restaurants to earn spending money to help pay for her tuition expenses at Juilliard.

French impresario Bernard Hilda soon discovered her and offered her the opportunity of becoming a star in France. She left school and went to Europe. Her mother taught her Italian and French and she soon became so proficient in French that she began performing her act totally in that language.

As an aside, in the early 50s, she went to Montreal and opened at the Ritz Hotel as a soloist with a bilingual act in French and English.

Eventually she made it back to the U.S. with a strong desire to advance her career and become an American recording star. That is when she met entrepreneur, Dave Kapp who signed her to his new label, Kapp Records. She had great success at Kapp and used it as a springboard to performing on stage and eventually on Broadway, appearing in such famous musicals as “Can Can,” “Kiss Me Kate” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”

Her breakout record at Kapp was ”Two Different Worlds” which she recorded with Roger Williams in 1956. She followed up with her Top 10 hit “Fascination” (1957) and subsequently, with “The Days The Rains Came” (1958). We all know this multi-talented linguist better by her stage name, Jane Morgan.

 

In 1959 she recorded a heart rendering ballad that reminds our Moments In Time creator, Tom Locke, of his mother every time he plays it on his jukebox.  Like caring mothers, Jane Morgan welcomed her challenges and showed her passion “With Open Arms.”

You Tube link to song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y1qcT9uv-M

This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.