US-based Raleigh Music Publishing has acquired the catalog of songwriter Lee Morris.
Morris’s song Blue Velvet was a Top 20 hit for Tony Bennett in its original 1951 version.
Raleigh, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles, was launched in 2016 by music industry veterans Peter Raleigh and Steven Storch.
Re-recordings of the record include a 1963 version by Bobby Vinton, which topped the Billboard chart at the time, and a Lana Del Rey released cover version released in 2012.
The 1986, David Lynch neo-noir mystery film Blue Velvet, also featured the song throughout, and earned Lynch an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
Morris’s work beyond Blue Velvet includes a collaboration on three additional Bobby Vinton songs: Satin, Someone I Used To Know and Tina.
The catalog includes three songs Morris wrote for Elvis Presley.
Also acquired in the deal were the 1948 song If I Only Had a Match, recorded by Al Jolson and Frank Sinatra, I Don’t Want to See Tomorrow by Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra’s You Forgot All the Words.
Raleigh currently represents the catalogs of Elvis Presley, George Gershwin, Anthony Newley, Bo Diddley, America, Lords of the Underground, Willy Deville, Lester Sill and Muhammad Ali.
The company also publishes a roster of contemporary artists, composers and producers, including composer Randy Edelman, Melissa Ferrick, Shawn James, Eliza Shaddad, Jack Larsen, Victor Internet, ISLAND and Mika Means.
“We’re honored that we can continue to preserve [Morris’s] legacy.”
Peter Raleigh, Raleigh Music Publishing
Peter Raleigh, Raleigh Music Publishing co-founder, said: “Lee Morris was a member of that select fraternity of mid-20th century songwriters who found inspiration and nourishment in the American popular song idiom.
“We’re honored that we can continue to preserve his legacy by cultivating his extensive song catalog.”
“We are thrilled to own this iconic catalog.”
Steven Storch, Raleigh Music Publishing
Steven Storch, Raleigh Music Publishing co-founder, added: “We are thrilled to own this iconic catalog and look forward to reintroducing and promoting these important songs to generations to come.”Music Business Worldwide
