Melville Morris (Oct.5,1888 - Feb.10,1987)
Mel, a fine pianist and first rate sight reader, started working as a music demonstrator pianist for some of the Tin Pan Alley publishing houses. In 1907 he was hired to the staff of Hager Company as a song demonstrator. Late in the year he was picked up by rapidly growing publisher Jerome H. Remick & Company as an arranger and song plugger. The 1910 Census indicates that he was a music publisher, but it was more likely that he was working in music for a publisher, as he was also still living with his parents. His first published composition came in 1911. Morris married Dorothy Kresner in late 1910 in New York.
In the early teens Mel started working in Vaudeville as an entertainer and pianist. In 1912 and 1913 he was also associated with the George W. Meyer Music Company. He was the accompanist for singer Lillian Lorraine at Hammerstein's Theater. Listings from 1913 and later indicate that Mel cut some piano rolls for the Rhythmodik label.
In the late 1910s Mel went to work for Paul Whiteman, who was building up his orchestra at this time. In April of 1918 he was engaged as a professional manager for Leo Feist, Incorporated, and took out an ad in the trades noting the address, and that he would "be pleased to greet his many friends." Morris ventured to England for a short while where he helped write a musical comedy.
Back in the states, his Picadilly Players, a subset of the Whiteman Orchestra, became a house band for Edison Records, recording several diamond discs for the company into the 1920s. When Remick's lead professional manager, Mose Gumble, was promoted to general supervisor in 1919, Morris was brought back full time in to fill that role. Even though he had been with the firm for many years, and was returning after barely a year with Feist, Morris took out a similar ad as he had before in the trades noting that he wised to "announce to his many friends in the profession that he is now connected with Jerome H. Remick & Co." Soon after that, in 1920, Morris, a member of the Freemasons, took his thirty-second degree and became a member of the Mystic Shrine.
Mel left Remick in December 1921 to work as a staff arranger or promoter for publisher Fred Fisher. He moved on from there in August 1922. That same year Morris wrote special music for a touring vaudeville burlesque, the Big Fun Show staged by "Sliding Billy" Watson and produced by Dan Dody. He also wrote and arranged other revues produced by Dody. None of the music appears to have been published. Another burlesque followed in 1923, Bubble, Bubble, produced by William K. Wells. Bubble, Bubble played for two years in various venues.
Morris finally left the publishing world for performance in the mid 1920s, hired as the manager for Whiteman's many groups. He played with often in live performances and on the radio, and perhaps for some recordings. Morris was still in this role with Whiteman until the Great Depression bore down on the country, then started working with his own groups. His Piccadilly Players were once again retained to record on the new "Needletype" records produced by Thomas Edison. Around two weeks after the October 1929 announcement, Edison completely pulled out of the phonograph business, just two days before the stock market collapsed.
Mel listed himself in the 1930 Census as an orchestra director in Manhattan. In the 1930s he did work with radio orchestras, managing, arranging and playing for them. After that, the composer all but disappeared from public view for the next 45 years.
Melville Morris died in 1987 at the age of 98 in Long Beach, Nassau County, New York.
Piccadilly Players - What Did'ja Wanna Make Me Love You For (1929)
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Feelin' Good- Piccadilly Playersby Bigband78702 views
I am the great grand son of Sliding Billy Watson. Very informative.
Thanks
Nyc2009ify 1 year ago
Annet Hanshaw singer? Greetings Hein.
heinbanjo12 1 year ago