The Lee Morgan Story (feat. Christian Scott & John Robinson)

7/10/1938, Illadelph, Pennsylvania birthed a prodigy

A brilliant musician in the making

Pops played organ at the church every weekend

At a early age, he collected records

Grew well versed, so who was playin' the best with

Horns and drums, using arms and lungs

To take the world by storm and build a legacy, son

Southern roots, though he was born in the Northeast

His parents left the South on a mission to make ends meet

He lived with passion, his heart pumped music

His father was his first true inspiration to do it

Each day revealed a true essence natural

Studied cats like Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro

Always wonderin' would the sun come out tomorrow

To end the ghetto pain and sorrow, oh so shallow

His first teenage love was a trumpet

His sister got it for him 'cause she knew that he wanted it

I doubt she knew what all would become of it

He studied it at the school of the arts

Not knowin' he would goof on the start (Hmm)

His teacher was a chain-smokin' local

Who mastered the horn, y'all, he was no joke, yo

He used to cut out of school

Him and his mans just to break early and go to the jams

Y'know, network and build

Humble cat, just showin' his skill

Met Clifford Brown and Dizzy and he knew it was real

Know for his grace notes and light tone quality

Methodically, shake the longest lines, so ill melodically

So much hard work, graduated at last

Same month Clifford Brown died in a car crash

So sad it crushed him, life goes on

Huge tragedy would thrust him, a star is born

At the age of 18, he joined the Art Blakey Messenger team

The next level of things, livin' his dreams

A few months later, he was hired by Diz

To play in big band gigs only to further his biz

The experience outweighed the money so much

He failed to attend the most prestigious school in the country

He shot junk in his veins, started to slip

His friends and family worried, was this gonna be it?

No, soon to rise again from the underground

With a hard bop, jazz type, soulful sound

Sidewinder, first original composition

And most successful at the time in terms of chart positionin'

His work ethic was massive, sideman sessions

Go on for days like discography lessons

Like so many, his downfall was narcotic

And soon to be his fate if he couldn't learn to stop it

It was a gun that ended his life

At a gig in New York City by his so-called wife

33 Years young, so full of greatness

The Lee Morgan story, read about it in the papers, studied the reason

Helen Moore, Slugs, legacy, The Lee Morgan Story

Out