Bio
Morgan Ames defines diversity in the music world. A few examples: she apprenticed by working for Quincy Jones. By watching, she learned what is important about music and protecting it. She sang in the 2016 Rose Parade with the New Direction Veterans Choir, which she produces. It was the first time the Rose Parade ever had a closing act. They sang “God Bless America” (Morgan’s vocal arrangement) on the back of the Wells Fargo float.
She sang and contracted backup singers for Queen Latifah for the opening of the 2010 Super Bowl (also "God Bless America"). She performed the same two functions, same song ("God Bless America"), for Celine Dion with producer David Foster for the 9/11 telethon. She has sung backups for the Academy Awards Show, and with LeeAnn Rimes for the Olympics Opening Ceremony. She conducted singers on stage for Paul McCartney at a Green Peace concert at the Hollywood Bowl ("Hey Jude").
As a songwriter, she has written with Johnny Mandel, Bob James, Dori Caymmi, Tom Scott, Dave Grusin, many more. She co-wrote Baretta's Theme ("Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow") with Dave Grusin, now a popular ringtone. Her songs have been recorded by Diane Schuur, Shirley Horne, Roberta Flack, Barbara Mandrell, Bob James, Peggy Lee, Djavan, many more. She has performed with Chaka Kahn, Mariah Carey, John Williams and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Johnny Mathis, Audra McDonald and more.
She has sung in such films as “Book of Life,” "King Kong," “War of the Worlds,” "Van Helsing," "Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions," “Amistad,” "Sister Acts I and II", etc. TV shows include “The Middle,” “According to Jim,” many others. She has written vocal arrangements and/or sung on recordings with Amy Grant, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Bette Midler, David Foster, David Benoit, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick and more.
With her a cappella group Inner Voices, she has sung at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Betty Ford Foundation, Jazz Bakery, performed on and off-camera in “My So-Called Life,” recorded on the soundtrack of “Troup Beverly Hills” and “Murphy’s Romance,” toured the U.S. and Japan and produced, arranged and recorded five CDs.
She co-produced "Diane Schuur and the Count Basie Orchestra," which was #1 for 37 weeks on the Billboard jazz charts and garnered two Grammys, one for a song she wrote with Frank Foster ("You Can Have It"). She produced two albums for the Grammy-nominated artist Lorraine Feather.
A little more diversity: she conducted on-camera in the film "For the Boys" behind Bette Midler and also arranged vocals and sang backups on the soundtrack CD for Marc Shaiman. She coached Lily Tomlin on scatting for the film "All of Me" (Miss Tomlin needed no help.) She sang on a demo developed for Barbra Streisand as a duet on the Frank Sinatra Duets project (“I’ve Got a Crush on You”), and considers that with that job, she almost sang a duet with Sinatra himself. She describes this as “a great American experience.”
In recent years, Morgan has been the producer, arranger and coach of the New Directions Veterans Choir, a group of ex-homeless veterans who found their way back into life and – to everyone’s surprise - turned out to be very talented as singers as well. Morgan produced their self-titled album. The group has done two successful national tours and performed on countless television shows and events in their home town, Los Angeles.
