Morgan was born and raised in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, a neighborhood that was also home to Fats Domino, Jesse Hill and Smiley Lewis. Morgan first began singing in his local church. Upon signing to Harold Battiste's AFO label in 1961, he cut his earliest singles like "I'll Make a Bet" and "I Got a Feelin'" under the alias Nookie Boy, a childhood nickname bestowed by his aunt.
When fellow Ninth Ward product and R&B eccentric Prince La La suffered a fatal but mysterious drug overdose in 1963, Morgan signed to GRP-Crescendo to cut "Who Shot the La La." The recording session took place at Cosimo Matassa's studio in New Orleans with Eddie Bo at the piano. A lively, whimsical tribute to his late friend, the record proved a surprise crossover hit and Morgan soon went on tour in support of Jackie Wilson, Wilson Pickett, and Don Covay.
Follow-ups including "La La Man" and "Liver Quiver" fell flat, but Morgan remained a New Orleans institution, his colorful live act renowned for its signature second-line umbrella, previously a staple of jazz funerals. In addition to club appearances, he worked for years as a custodian at New Orleans' City Hall building, followed by a stint as caretaker of the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum on Chatres Street.
In 1997, Morgan recorded his first-ever album, the Allen Toussaint-produced I'm Home. Toussaint gave him full support providing 5 of the 10 songs and producing and playing on the album. Days after completing the sessions he suffered a stroke, and the following January, Toussaint headlined a benefit concert in his honor alongside fellow Crescent City immortals Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, and Frankie Ford. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Morgan and wife Sylvia were forced to relocate to Atlanta after the breached levees destroyed their Lower Ninth Ward home. He died from a heart attack on July 31, 2007, at the age of 74. He had not performed since he evacuated out of New Orleans.
(Edited from Wikipedia & AllMusic)
