Sunnysiders

Freddy Morgan entered the world on 7 November 1910 in New York City, New York, USA, and departed in 1970. During the mid-1950s he assembled the Sunnysiders alongside Margie Rayburn—born in 1924 in Madera, California, USA, and who died on 14 June 2000 in Oceanside, California, USA—plus Norman Milkin and Jad Paul. As a banjoist and songwriter, Morgan belonged to Spike Jones’ City Slickers from 1947 through 1958. After the Sunnysiders inked a deal with Kapp Records, their debut release, the Morgan-Milkin composition ‘Hey, Mr. Banjo’, climbed to number 12 on the US charts in May 1955. Subsequent efforts such as ‘The Lonesome Banjo’ and ‘Banjo Picker’s Ball’ stayed within the same thematic vein yet failed to re-enter the charts. Rayburn, who wed Milkin, nevertheless scored her own US Top 10 hit in 1957 titled ‘I’m Available’.