Barbara Morrison, Queen of Jazz
asked him to work with her. And that was the beginning of a deep friendship — like a sister and brother relationship — a mutual love, respect and support of each others’ musical projects which lasted all of her lifetime.
“When I began performing at the Easter Jazz Sunrise Service at First Lutheran Church in Carson, I asked Barbara to be the vocalist. She was excited. I changed the lyrics to some church and jazz favorites to spiritually fit with the occasion. Barbara knocked them out of the box!”
Al said Barbara was the strongest person he had ever met.
“She was positive every time she stepped out and she always had a smile on her face, even after having multiple surgeries for diabetes, losing both legs at different times. She was fiercely independent; she learned to drive her own vehicle from gig to gig. She kept on performing.
“She called me one night and talked about opening a jazz and blues club in Leimert Park.
“She asked me my thoughts on it and I was skeptical. However, The Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center has been a huge success for more than 16 years. Some of the greatest jazz musicians performed there. She offered singing and dancing classes for the kids who wanted to be performers (YES, INC- Young Educated Singers) teaching them no matter what their financial situation was. Now, some of them are successful performing artists, thanks to her. She also opened the first California Jazz and Blues Museum — photos, history, tributes, memorabilia, etc.
No matter what the circumstances were in Barbara Morrison’s life, she always had a positive attitude. I will truly miss Barbara’s light-hearted energy and I smile every time I think of her. Love to my Queen.”
International jazz, pop, R&B and gospel singer, Windy Barnes Farrell remarked that the title of Queen often conferred onto Morrison was highly apropos. “Highly gifted and highly revered, she was the hardest working woman that I know in show business,” Barnes said.
Barnes went on to note that Morrison rolled over major obstacles like they were mole hills. That defeat had no place in her life as she demonstrated resilience and great fortitude smack in the face of adversity.
“She always sang while smiling ear to ear, not an easy feat. She couldn’t help it because her joy in pleasing the crowd would well up and pour out of her even after she sang her last note,” Barnes said.
“She had a way of sing talking ... She sang the notes ... and there were many, and sang the lyrics, but she spoke directly to you straight from her heart. And we all heard.
“She is sorely missed and Queen Barbara Morrison’s name will be forever embedded across the hearts of all who knew and loved her.
“Rest my friend, job exceptionally well done. With loving memories.”
Legendary LA jazz singer, Dwight Trible, called Morrison his comrade, friend and undisputed Queen of blues and jazz singing in Los Angeles.
“I don’t think anyone would dispute that,” Trible said. “The thing that sticks out the most to me, is that Barbara did not discriminate.”
By discriminate, Trible explained that Morrison could be playing at the Hollywood Bowl one night and in a family room, or some hole in the wall place in Compton the next.
“But she did it with the same zeal and all of her energy that she did when she was at the Hollywood Bowl,” Trible said. “There was no place she would not sing … from festivals to hole in the walls, storefront churches and everything else.
“And she did it with all her might all the way to the end. Even when she lost both of her legs to diabetes. She was still singing as good as ever,” Trible said.
“She never made any excuses for herself. She did it with everything she had, which, like all of us know, we have no excuse for why we say we can’t do a certain thing, because she did it to the end with her condition.”
Timothy Morganfield, Barbara’s friend and longtime business partner said, “We lost a real jazz legend. [But] to me, I lost a friend, sister and business partner. When you say Leimert Park, you have to say Barbara Morrison.”
Morganfield explained that when he first went to work for Barbara to build her a stage, he described it as a good feeling. When she wrote out his first check, Barbara asked his name.
He told her, “Morganfield.” Her face dropped. She said, “Muddy Waters?”
Morganfield is a decendant of Muddy Waters, born McKinley Morganfield, April 4, 1913 to April 30, 1983.
“We put together the Muddy Waters [West Coast] Festival (2017), across from the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center with Big Bill Morganfield, one of Muddy Waters’ sons.”
In fact, Barbara was mentoring Joseph Mojo Morganfield’s (Water’s youngest son) daughters, Julissa and Bella.
When the pandemic hit and everything shut down, Barbara invested in a live streaming system.
“During the pandemic we streamed more than 60 shows so she could pay her band members,” Morganfield said. “That was her heart, she takes care of musicians.”