Huey Morgan

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Huey Morgan
Huey-Morgan.jpg
Morgan with the Fun Lovin' Criminals
at Tilburg, Netherlands, June 2011
Background information
Birth nameHugh Thomas Diaz Morgan
Also known asPapa Large, Huey, Dangerous Huey Morgan
Born (1968-08-07) 7 August 1968 (age 56)
New York City, United States
Genres alternative rock, hip-hop, jazz, reggae, funk
Occupation(s)musician, songwriter, writer, television personality, radio DJ
Instrument(s)vocals, guitar
Years active1993–present
Website http://www.hueymorgan.com

Hugh Thomas Diaz Morgan (born 7 August 1968) is an American musician best known as the former frontman of rock/hip hop band Fun Lovin' Criminals. [1] Morgan performs both vocals and guitar and combines rock, hip hop, jazz, reggae, and funk influences in his music. He is also a presenter for BBC Radio and has made film and TV appearances.

Contents

Early life

Morgan is an American, born to Puerto Rican-American and Irish-American parents. In his youth, he committed petty crimes and dealt cocaine, and he was arrested while driving a stolen car. [2]

He had a choice between going to jail or joining the Marines. [3] He decided on the latter and has the Marines motto, Semper Fidelis tattooed on his right arm. After being honourably discharged from the Marines he started DJ’ing in NYC clubs. He met Brian "Fast" Leiser at the Limelight where they played at a birthday party and got scouted for EMI. [4]

Music career

In 1993, Morgan formed Fun Lovin' Criminals with Brian Leiser and Steve Borgovini. During Morgan's tenure with the band, they released six studio albums, three of which made the top 10 in the UK Albums Chart, and scored eight top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart. On 12 November 2021, it was announced that Morgan had left the Fun Lovin' Criminals. In 2010, Morgan made a guest appearance in the music video of Plan B's single "Prayin' ", and in 2012, he collaborated with JetTricks on the track "See Us Through" from their album Better Than Real Life. Also in 2012, Morgan released his début solo album Say It to My Face, credited to Huey and the New Yorkers. [5]

Appearances in other media

Writing

Morgan had a short-lived, ghost-written wine column for the British magazine Mondo from 2000 to 2001. [6]

In June 2015, Morgan released his first book, Rebel Heroes: The Renegades of Music & Why We Still Need Them.

Television

In television, Morgan has appeared on the UK comedy music quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks , three times as a guest panelist and once as a guest host. In his most famous appearance, Morgan smashed a mug after becoming upset when needing to repeat lyrics from his songs in the Next Lines round. [7] Morgan also participated in the BBC's The Underdog Show , where eight celebrities trained and rehabilitated rescued dogs. [8] He is also a frequent guest panelist on the UK Channel 5 morning show The Wright Stuff . Morgan also made a guest appearance in an episode of Skins as Toxic Bob, the owner of a metal record shop. In 2010, Morgan co-hosted Liza & Huey's Pet Nation on Sky One with Liza Tarbuck. Morgan also hosted Slips on the British music channel Viva. [9] More recent work includes narration for National Geographic's epic series Drugs Inc, now in its third series, voice overs for TV ads such as Blink Box and more. In 2015, Morgan began work on the Sky Arts show Guitar Stars, working with fellow DJ Edith Bowman, but left after the first series. On 3 November 2016, he appeared as a panelist on the BBC Television political debate programme Question Time . In April 2018, Morgan appeared on Million Pound Holiday Club on Channel 4 with stunt driver Ben Collins racing cars in the countryside. In July 2020, Morgan hosted a series for BBC Four titled Huey Morgan's Latin Music Adventure, which saw Morgan travel to Brazil, Cuba and Puerto Rico, meeting famous musicians who shaped and inspired the sounds of Latin music.

Film

Morgan starred in Clubbing to Death with Craig Charles, Nick Moran, Dave Courtney, and Deepak Verma. [10] He also played record shop proprietor Dee Dee in Soulboy , a dramatisation of the 1970s Northern Soul scene starring Martin Compston, Felicity Jones and Alfie Allen. He starred in the 2000 film Once in the Life with Laurence Fishburne, playing the character Carlos. He played The Yank in the 2003 film Headrush .

Voice-over

Morgan did a voice-over for the video game Scarface: The World Is Yours . [11] He is the voice of National Geographic TV shows Drugs Inc and Underworld Inc as well as narrating the two-part BBC television documentary Blues America in 2013, which can be seen on YouTube. He has voiced radio ads for Wagamama since 2015, and in 2016, he voiced a global advertising campaign for Lynx (Axe) deodorant.

Radio

On 5 October 2008, Morgan began hosting The Huey Show on BBC Radio 6 Music. [12] The show won a Bronze Award at the 2009 Sony Radio Academy Awards. The show currently broadcasts from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturdays.

Since April 2011, Morgan has hosted an array of shows on BBC Radio 2, beginning with Saturday 12:00 am - 3:00 am, replacing the show's previous host Mark Lamarr. He presented from 4 am to 6 am on Saturdays until 24 April 2021.

Other business ventures

Morgan previously co-owned The Voodoo Lounge, The Dice Bar and DiFontaine's Pizza Place in Dublin. Morgan also opened Notting Hill Tattoo Studio, Love Hate Social Club with New York tattoo artist Ami James in November 2012.

Personal life

Morgan has previously lived in New York City, Dublin, Hawaii, London, and Frome in Somerset. He now lives in Bath, Somerset. He married his wife Rebecca in 2007; they have a son. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which recalls Barry White's backing vocal group. Their songs often focus on life in New York City, as well as urban life in general. Their lyrics can be gritty or existentialist in nature, touching on topics such as organized crime and urban violence, but they are just as often humorous or satirical. The band gained a large following internationally, notably in Northwest Europe, around the release of their first two albums in the late 1990s.

<i>Never Mind the Buzzcocks</i> British TV comedy panel game (1996–2015, 2020–)

Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hosted by Mark Lamarr, then by Simon Amstell, and later by a number of guest presenters, with Rhod Gilbert hosting the final series. It first starred Phill Jupitus and Sean Hughes as team captains, with Hughes being replaced by Bill Bailey from the eleventh series, and Bailey replaced by Noel Fielding for some of series 21 and from series 23 onward. The show returned six years later, now hosted by Greg Davies, with Daisy May Cooper as the new captain and Fielding returning as a captain. The show is produced by Talkback. The title plays on the names of the Sex Pistols album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and the band Buzzcocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phill Jupitus</span> British comedian

Phillip Christopher Jupitus is a retired English stand-up and improv comedian, actor, performance poet, cartoonist and podcaster. Jupitus was a team captain on all but one BBC Two-broadcast episode of music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks from its inception in 1996 until 2015, and also appears regularly as a guest on several other panel shows, including QI and BBC Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

Mark Lamarr is an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. He was a team captain on Shooting Stars from 1995 to 1997, and hosted Never Mind the Buzzcocks from 1996 to 2005.

Liza Tarbuck is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter.

Brian Andrew Leiser, is a member of the New York band Fun Lovin' Criminals. He plays bass, keyboards, harmonica and the trumpet. From 2021, following the departure of frontman Huey Morgan, Leiser took over duties as lead singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Mills</span> English radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor

Scott Robert Mills is an English radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor. He is best known for presenting the Scott Mills show on BBC Radio 1 from 2004 to 2022 and since then, on BBC Radio 2. Mills has also been a UK commentator for the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Laverne</span> English radio DJ, model, television presenter

Lauren Cecilia Fisher, known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, model, television presenter, author and singer. She was the lead singer and additional guitarist in the alternative rock band Kenickie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Amstell</span> English comedian

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<i>Come Find Yourself</i> 1996 studio album by Fun Lovin Criminals

Come Find Yourself is the debut studio album by the American band Fun Lovin' Criminals. It was released on February 20, 1996, by Chrysalis Records.

<i>100% Colombian</i> 1998 studio album by Fun Lovin Criminals

100% Colombian is the second studio album released by the band Fun Lovin' Criminals. It was released on November 17, 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Howard</span> British comedian and presenter

Russell Joseph Howard is an English comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. He has hosted his own television shows, Russell Howard's Good News and The Russell Howard Hour, and appeared on the topical panel TV show Mock the Week. He won "Best Compère" at the 2006 Chortle Awards and was nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award for his 2006 Aberdeen Festival Fringe show. Howard has cited comedians Lee Evans, Richard Pryor, and Frank Skinner as influences.

<i>Loco</i> (Fun Lovin Criminals album) 2001 studio album by Fun Lovin Criminals

Loco is the third studio album by the band Fun Lovin' Criminals. It was released on March 6, 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Benbini</span> Musical artist

Frank Benbini is the British drummer and one third of Fun Lovin' Criminals (FLC). He is also known as Uncle Frank and TRM which stands for "The Rhythm Man". Benbini is a singer, record producer, songwriter and director.

<i>The Russell Brand Show</i> (radio show) BBC comedy programme

The Russell Brand Show was a radio show first broadcast in 2006 on BBC Radio 6 Music and later on BBC Radio 2, TalkSport, XFM and finally Radio X in 2017. The show's host was English comedian Russell Brand, who was usually joined by co-host and long-term friend Matt Morgan, as well as the show's poet laureate, Greg "Mr Gee" Sekweyama. The show also featured regular contributions from English musician Noel Gallagher, who was described as an unofficial co-host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean Bodega</span> Single by Fun Lovin Criminals

"Korean Bodega" is a single released in 1999, and was the final single taken from Fun Lovin' Criminals's second album 100% Colombian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scooby Snacks (song)</span> 1996 single by Fun Lovin Criminals

"Scooby Snacks" is a song by American band Fun Lovin' Criminals from their debut album, Come Find Yourself (1996). The song was written by the band and contains several sampled quotes from Quentin Tarantino films, so Tarantino is also credited as a writer. Most of the song is rapped, with the exception of the chorus, which is sung. The "Scooby Snacks" in the song is a reference to diazepam, also known as Valium.

<i>Classic Fantastic</i> 2010 studio album by Fun Lovin Criminals

Classic Fantastic is the sixth studio album by American rap rock band Fun Lovin' Criminals. It was released on March 1, 2010 via Kilohertz Ltd. Production was handled by Fun Lovin' Criminals themselves. It features guest appearances from Paul Kaye and Roots Manuva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loco (Fun Lovin' Criminals song)</span> 2001 single by Fun Lovin Criminals

"Loco" is a song by American band Fun Lovin' Criminals, released as the first single from their third studio album, Loco (2001). It samples the song "Happy Anniversary" by Australian rock group Little River Band, so writing credits are given to band members David Briggs and Beeb Birtles. Fun Lovin' Criminals provided addition writing to the track and also produced it.

References

  1. "BBC Cambridgeshire - Interview". Bbc.co.uk. 29 November 2005. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
  2. "Classic Album: Fun Lovin Criminals on 'Come Find Yourself'". musicradar.com. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  3. "Huey Morgan: My family values". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  4. "The Huey Show on Radio 6". BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  5. "SAY IT TO MY FACE - HUEY AND THE NEW YORKERS". Tomtom Audio Shop. Tom Tom Audio.
  6. "Huey Morgan's Wine Column" . Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  7. Plunkett, John (26 May 2015). "Never Mind the Buzzcocks: top five moments". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  8. "The Underdog Show - Contestants - Hugh 'Huey' Morgan". BBC. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
  9. "uk.viva.tv".
  10. Film, British Council. "British Council Film: Clubbing to Death". film.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  11. "Gamasutra - Audio Postmortem: Scarface: The World is Yours".
  12. On Air Now: 19:00 - 21:00. "6 Music - Shows - The Huey Show". BBC. Retrieved 10 September 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. "Huey and the New Yorkers Biography". Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  14. "Huey Morgan Full Interview". Bristol Live Magazine. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2018.