Willie Morris (soprano)

William Morris (1907 or 1908[1]) was an American soprano who primarily performed on radio.

Early years

Morris's great-grandfather, John Bingle Morris, was a pioneer who built the first business building in Mexico, Missouri,[2] and founded that city.[3] Her father, Fred A. Morris, was president of a bank.[2] When her mother was pregnant, her parents expected to have a baby boy. The child was a girl, but they used the name William anyway.[4][5]

As a child, Morris listened to her grandmother's music: "She used to play the piano for me constantly," Morris said.[6] Her support along with that of Morris's parents encouraged her to study piano. As time went on her skills developed and the grandmother "would listen by the hour as I played".[6] She received a scholarship to study music at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau[6] in the summer of 1923.[7]

While she was a student at McMillan High School,[7] Morris studied at the Hardin College and Conservatory of Music in Mexico, Missouri.[1] In 1920 she finished second in State Federation of Music competition in St. Louis.[7] Morris graduated from Hardin in 1926. During her senior year she was named Queen of the May, Apple Blossom Queen at the prom, and the college's most democratic girl.[8] In the fall of 1927 she went to Paris to study with Isadore Phillipe for a year with plans to spend a second year in Berlin and Vienna.[9]

A music critic suggested that Morris should consult with a singing teacher about becoming a singer. Her initial efforts in that regard were unsuccessful, but a meeting with Madame Pierette-Bianco in Rome shifted her focus to singing.[6]

Morris became a student of Madame Pierette-Bianco[10] in Boston and in Rome, as the teacher lived six months of each year in each of those cities. A scholarship from the Stuart Club enabled Morris to continue studying with her in 1931-1932.[11]

Career

After Morris began studying in Boston, she contemplated singing on radio. She visited radio station WEEI, where she auditioned by singing two songs and playing a piano solo. The station gave her a sustaining program, which provided experience but no income.[6] In October 1931 Morris won the women's division of the Atwater Kent Foundation's competition for Massachusetts, becoming eligible to participate in the next-level interstate competition.[12][13]

In April 1932 Morris, who already was staff accompanist at WEEI, was selected to sing on a series of broadcasts on that station. A station spokesman said that she would add "that needed feminine touch".[14] In 1935 Morris became the featured female singer on the Flying Red Horse Tavern series on CBS,[15] and she joined the cast of Your Hit Parade, specializing in light concert songs.[16]

While Morris was a regular on the Fireside Recitals program on NBC, that network's executives chose her to be "the 1847 girl" on a new program, Musical Camera.[17] She became the soprano soloist on that program, which debuted on October 25, 1936.[18] Other radio programs on which she appeared included Our Home on the Range[19] and Lanny Ross's show.[20]

Personal life

Morris married Stephen G. Crean Jr. at her parents' home in Mexico, Missouri, on May 7, 1938. He operated a chain of hotels in New York.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 "Willie Morris to Finish in 2 years". The Mexico Intelligencer. May 11, 1922. p. 2. Retrieved May 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "Visits Home Town". Kansas City Journal-Post. August 2, 1936. p. 4 B. Retrieved May 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Albert, Katherine (May 22, 1937). "Small-Towners in Big Towns" (PDF). Radio Guide. pp. 13, 18. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  4. ↑ Gottlieb, Lester (September 1, 1935). "Success, by the Morris Plan". Detroit Free Press. p. Screen & Radio Weekly, page 7. Retrieved May 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Ranson, Jo (May 20, 1935). "Radio Dial-Log". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 13. Retrieved May 30, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Albert, Dora (April 4, 1937). "Nothing Ever Fazes Willie Morris". Democrat and Chronicle. New York, Rochester. p. Screen & Radio Weekly, page 14. Retrieved May 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 3 "Willie Morris to go to Paris next summer". The Mexico Intelligencer. December 28, 1922. p. 2. Retrieved May 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Mexico Girl Crowned May Queen at Hardin College". St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat. May 13, 1926. p. 20. Retrieved May 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Two to study music abroad". The Kansas City Times. July 15, 1927. p. 6. Retrieved May 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Off the Antenna". The Springfield Daily News. April 30, 1931. p. 12. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Brown, R. Wilson (August 5, 1931). "Rome Acclaims Miss Willie Morris As Great Mezzo Soprano Of Future". The Daily Intelligencer. Missour, Mexico. p. 2. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "State Atwater-Kent Audition To Be Sunday". The Intelligencer. Missouri, Mexico. October 22, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Announce Winners in State Radio Audition". The Boston Globe. October 16, 1931. p. 43. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Willie Morris 9:30 P M, WEEI". The Boston Globe. April 8, 1932. p. 30. Retrieved May 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Willie Morris, Soprano". The Boston Globe. October 4, 1935. p. 50. Retrieved May 30, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "New Hit Parade Cast Stars Loretta Lee, Willie Morris". The Daily Home News. New Jersey, New Brunswick. November 22, 1935. p. 24. Retrieved May 30, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Find Willie Morris Type And Voice for 1847 Girl". Buffalo Courier-Express. October 18, 1936. p. S 9. Retrieved June 7, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Musical Camera makes radio bow over NBC Sunday". Wichita Daily Times. October 25, 1936. p. Part One, p. 5. Retrieved June 7, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Attributes Her Rise to 'Hunch'". Sunday Standard-Times. Massachusetts, New Bedford. June 23, 1935. p. 13. Retrieved May 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Trade Notes". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. November 25, 1934. p. 10 C. Retrieved May 30, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Miss Willie Morris marries hotel man". The Boston Globe. May 10, 1938. p. 12. Retrieved June 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
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