Ella Mae Morse
Singer
Born
Sept. 12, 1924
in Mansfield, TX
Died
Oct. 16, 1999
of respiratory problems in Bullhead City, Ariz.
Ella Mae Morse was a pop-jazz singer whose recording of "Cow Cow Boogie" became Capitol Records' first million-selling single.
Big band leader Jimmy Dorsey hired Morse when she was 14 years old. He thought she was 19 years old and fired her when he found out the truth. Three years later, she joined bandleader Freddie Slack's group, with whom she recorded the hit "Cow Cow Boogie."
She continued with Capitol into the '50s, recording about 80 tracks for the label. Her biggest hit was "The Blacksmith Blues," released on Feb. 16, 1952. It was on the hit charts for 22 weeks and reached the No. 3 position.
Although she stopped recording in the late '50s, she continued performing live at venues such as Disneyland until 1987.
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