Biography
The R&B vocalist Oliver Morgan from New Orleans is chiefly recalled for the 1963 single "Who Shot the La La," a tribute honoring Crescent City legend Prince La La. Raised in the Ninth Ward alongside emerging talents Fats Domino, Jessie Hill, and Smiley Lewis, he launched his vocal career performing in neighborhood churches. After joining Harold Battiste's AFO label in 1961, he issued early sides such as "I'll Make a Bet" and "I Got a Feelin'" using the childhood nickname Nookie Boy, given to him by an aunt. Following the sudden and unexplained drug-overdose death of fellow Ninth Ward native and R&B eccentric Prince La La in 1963, Morgan moved to GRP-Crescendo and recorded the Cosimo Matassa-produced track "Who Shot the La La." The lively, whimsical ode to his late friend became an unexpected crossover success, leading to tour dates alongside Jackie Wilson, Wilson Pickett, and Don Covay. Later releases like "La La Man" and "Liver Quiver" failed to connect, yet Morgan stayed a local fixture whose flamboyant stage persona always featured the second-line umbrella once common at jazz funerals. Beyond club work, he spent years as a custodian inside New Orleans City Hall and later served as caretaker at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. His debut full-length, the Allen Toussaint-produced I'm Home, arrived in 1997; days after the sessions concluded he suffered a stroke, prompting Toussaint to organize a benefit concert the next January with Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, and Frankie Ford. Hurricane Katrina's levee breaches destroyed the Lower Ninth Ward residence Morgan shared with wife Sylvia, forcing their relocation to Atlanta. He passed away on July 31, 2007, at age 74.
Albums
Singles
