Ella Mae Morse

Cow Cow Boogie

Ella Mae Morse recorded this hit in 1942 at the tender age of 17, shortly after joining the Freddie Slack Orchestra. This song turned out to be the first gold single for Capitol Records, and helped to establish her reputation as a fine and highly versatile vocalist. For such a young singer, her phrasing in this chart is exquisite. Aside from the vocalist, this arrangement of Cow Cow Boogie also relies on a rock steady left hand from the Pianist, to play the boogie-woogie style riffs that rumble on throughout the number and give it its distinctive groove. We have also written out the original Trombone and Trumpet solos which fit so well with the chart. The opening vocal key is Ab, the instrumental middle section drops to G, and the vocal re-enters in Ab. there are no sax doubles.