This month we are taking a slight shift from introducing you to a neighbor you might pass in the park any day of the week. This month we wanted to pay homage to a neighbor of our past. George Morrison, Sr. (1891 – 1974), was the first Black musician signed to Columbia Records, an international star of the 1920s Jazz Age, and one of Colorado’s most celebrated violinists and composers, and he was just recently inducted into Colorado Music Hall of Fame on, October 17, 2023. The induction was held at a free public celebration at Morrison‘s namesake park in Denver. The celebration was in partnership with the Denver Park Trust and Amazon who have sponsored the restoration of the Park’s interpretive signs. The Denver South High School Jazz Band performed, and speakers included Hall of Fame board member, former General Manager of KUVO Carlos Lando; Denver City Councilman Darrell Watson; and members of Morrison’s family.
Known as “Denver’s Godfather of Jazz,“ Morrison studied classical violin at the University of Colorado and at the Columbia Conservatory of Music in Chicago. He grew up with a hunger to play music, but — his 1974 Denver Post obituary read — “he wasn’t allowed to use his father’s fiddle.” Instead, he’d build his own. Despite his classical training, Morrison elected to pursue a career in jazz after experiencing the racism of the all-white symphony orchestras of the time. His self-named jazz orchestra toured the U.S. and Europe in the 1920s, where he performed for King George V and Queen Mary. Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Jelly Roll are among the famous musicians who performed with him. “Despite never having achieved his dream of playing with a symphony orchestra before his death in 1974, every musician who knew or worked with Morrison acknowledged his abilities. He had played a major role in the careers of many black musicians, founded the black Musicians Local 623, and brought hours of pleasure to thousands of Coloradans.” Moya Hansen
“He was an extraordinary man, musician, composer and civil rights pioneer, a Five Points entrepreneur who built a home in the Whittier neighborhood. Because he chose to remain in Denver he was largely underappreciated and forgotten on a national level even though he formed his first band around the same time as King Oliver in New Orleans,” states Carlos Lando. “He was to Denver jazz as Louis Armstrong was to jazz in New Orleans,” Purnell Steen.
In Denver, Morrison opened the Casino Cabaret in Five Points, while his home at 2558 Gilpin Street served as the “inn for the in-crowd,” black tour-ing musicians who weren’t allowed to stay in most Denver hotels during segregation. Morrison generously provided free music lessons to students in his home and volunteered for the music programs at Denver Public Schools in his neighborhood. One of the stages at the annual Five Points Jazz Festival is named after him, as is the Denver city park, where the induction celebration will take place.
In early 2022, led by Dr. Awon Aturie, 13 residents of the Whittier neighborhood, came together to address historical and contemporary erasure of Black history in neighborhood parks through the restoration of an interpretive sign and monument highlighting the life and legacy of George Morrison, Sr. in his namesake park. The project received funding and support from the Denver Park Trust, Amazon, and CU Boulder Department of Ethnic Studies, and the Renée Crown Wellness Institute at CU Boulder. While inducting Morrison into Colorado Music Hall of Fame, the celebration on October 17th also unveiled this restored sign and monument.
We hope you have an opportunity to listen to his music and if you find yourself at the George Morrison, Sr. Park located at 1600 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., we hope you can feel his energy, may he rest in peace.
About Colorado Music Hall of Fame:
Colorado Music Hall of Fame’s mission is to celebrate, promote and support Colorado’s music community. Since 2011, over fifty musicians, music industry professionals, venues and organizations have been inducted into Colorado Music Hall of Fame. The Hall honors these legends in bilingual exhibits at its museum at Red Rocks Trading Post in Morrison, Colorado; the museum is free, ADA-accessible and open 363 days a year. This year, The Hall launched a mental wellness awareness program for Colorado’s music industry called Keep The Beat. More information at www.cmhof.org.