Tommy Morgan was a legendary harmonica player who contributed music to many film soundtracks and TV shows including “Dances With Wolves” and the theme for “Rockford Files.”
Legendary harmonica player
Tommy Morgan played harmonica in the U.S. Air Force Band in the 1950s. He became a prolific contributor to movie soundtracks and TV shows. He can be heard on the films “Dances With Wolves, “Rio Bravo,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “The Princess Diaries,” and “City Slickers.” For television he played on the theme songs for “Sanford and Sons,” “Rockford Files,” and played on the Emmy Award winning score for “Roots.” His harmonica was the sound for Arnold the Pig on the TV sitcom “Green Acres.” Morgan also played on many popular music tracks including “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, and the Carpenters’ “Rainy Days and Mondays.”
Notable Quote
“I always considered myself a studio musician who played harmonica.” “It was a very exciting way to make a living. You never knew what you were going to do.” – He told the National Association of Music Merchants in 2017
Tributes to Tommy Morgan
Tommy was an incredible human and a genius with the Harmonica. He played on many of my scores and could play any music you put in front of him. He was a rare musician and it seems impossible that anyone could ever fill those shoes. RIP Tommy and Thank You. https://t.co/mHZX0ZzGyV
— Michael Giacchino (@m_giacchino) July 3, 2022
RIP Tommy Morgan. His credits say a lot but they don’t say how supportive and encouraging a musician he was to those around him. https://t.co/qGv4dduquD
— Geoff Zanelli (@GeoffZanelli) July 2, 2022
This makes me incredibly sad. Tommy was 1 of 2 Twilight Zone composers alive when I wrote my book and was such a great help (Robert Drasnin was the other who was also really helpful). He even wrote my book’s preface. https://t.co/9X9SIgD1NC?
— Dr. Reba Wissner (@reba_wissner) July 2, 2022
Full Obituary: Variety
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