Shadow Morton

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George "Shadow" Morton
Birth nameGeorge Francis Morton
Born(1941-09-03)September 3, 1941
Richmond, Virginia, US [1]
DiedFebruary 14, 2013(2013-02-14) (aged 71)
Laguna Beach, California, US
Occupation(s)Songwriter, record producer

George Francis "Shadow" Morton (September 3, 1941 – February 14, 2013)[2] was an American record producer and songwriter best known for his influential work in the 1960s. In particular, he was noted for writing and producing "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", "Leader of the Pack", and other hits for girl group the Shangri-Las.

Early life

He was born in Richmond, Virginia, United States,[1] and raised in Hicksville, Long Island, where he met his high school sweetheart and future wife, Lois Berman, and formed a doo-wop group, the Markeys. He became friendly with Ellie Greenwich, and did drop-in visits to her and her songwriting partner (later husband) Jeff Barry when they were working at the Brill Building.

Career

According to a

Allmusic, "Morton's production work, which included brilliant sound effects and inventive percussion, carried the Shangri-Las to girl-group history."[5]

Morton signed as a staff producer for Red Bird Records. He was nicknamed "Shadow" by record company executive George Goldner because his whereabouts could never be pinned down.[3] He was a key architect in creating the girl group sound of the mid-1960s, by continuing to write and produce hit teen melodramas for the Shangri-Las and the Goodies, including "Leader of the Pack", "Give Him a Great Big Kiss", "I Can Never Go Home Anymore", "Past, Present and Future" and "Sophisticated Boom Boom".[3] These juxtaposed teen lyrics against a mixture of pop, R&B and even the classics, with sound effects and inventive percussion that were often compared to the work of Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound technique; Billy Joel believed that Morton wanted to be Spector's equivalent in the East Coast.[6][7][8]

In 1967, his successes continued after the collapse of Red Bird when his production of

Billboard Top 200.[9] Morton also worked with Iron Butterfly; the group gave an interview to Mix Magazine crediting him with producing the hit track "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". Morton told film producer Larry Schweikart
in 2009 that the band was too uptight to get the song down, so he faked an equipment malfunction on the soundboard and told them to practice. In fact, he was rolling tape, and he kept giving them the "keep it up" sign, resulting in the long solos and the famous drum solo.

In 1970, Morton produced the psychedelic heavy rock band Haystacks Balboa, a New York City based quintet who toured nationally as support for

The New York Dolls, producing their second album Too Much Too Soon.[3][5] Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders would later cover his composition "Great Big Kiss" on his 1978 solo album So Alone
. In 1972, Shadow produced the Boston comedy band Gross National Productions' album P-Flaps and Low Blows.

Hiatus

Morton then disappeared from the

Polygram Records for the unauthorized use of his music, most famously two Shangri-Las songs that were featured in the 1990 film Goodfellas.[5]

He was inducted into the

Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006.[11] In 2009, Morton appeared in the documentary Rockin' the Wall, about music's part in bringing down the Iron Curtain, along with former Vanilla Fudge members Mark Stein and Vinny Martell, as well as David Paich of Toto, Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot, Robby Krieger of the Doors, Billy Joel and Joan Jett
.

Death

Shadow Morton died on February 14, 2013, in Laguna Beach, California, from cancer.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Unterberger, Richard. "Biography of George 'Shadow' Morton". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  2. ^ ABC News, Shangri-Las Producer, Songwriter Shadow Morton Dead at 71, 14 February 2013 Archived 6 March 2013 at archive.today. Retrieved 15 February 2013
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-939-0
    .
  4. ^ Richard Arfin, Interview with Shadow Morton, 1991, at http://www.theshangri-las.com Archived 2013-11-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 February 2013
  5. ^ a b c Biography by Steve Kurutz, AllMusic, Retrieved 15 February 2013
  6. ^ "Remember (Walking in the Sand) by The Shangri-Las". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  7. ^ Breihan, Tom (5 July 2018). "The Number Ones: The Shangri-Las' "Leader Of The Pack"". Stereogum. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  8. ^ Lifton, Dave (15 February 2013). "Shadow Morton, Legendary Producer, Dead at 72". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  9. ISBN 0789446138
    .
  10. Breznikar, Klemen (February 17, 2011). "Haystacks Balboa interview with Mark Harrison Mayo". It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine. Archived
    from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "Long Island Music Hall of Fame | Education | Heritage | Art". Limusichalloffame.org. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
  12. ^ Cameron Matthews, Shadow Morton Dead: Shangri-Las, 'Leader of the Pack' Producer Dead at 71, Spinner.com, 14 February 2013

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shadow_Morton&oldid=1211042508"