Kenneth Morris

MORRIS, Kenneth. b. Jamaica, New York, 28 August 1917; d. Chicago, Illinois, 1 February 1989. A gospel song composer and publisher, Morris was the son of Ettuila (née White) and John Morris. Though he attended the Manhattan Conservatory of Music where he studied classical music, his first interest was in jazz piano. He formed the Kenneth Morris Jazz Band in New York City. An invitation to perform at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1934 changed the course of his life. He contracted tuberculosis in Chicago, became incapacitated, and ultimately unable to perform. When he decided to remain in Chicago to recuperate, he met music publisher Lillian M. Bowles (ca. 1884-1949) who...