Early Life
King was born Maria Grazia Morgana Messina in Pleasantville, New York. Her parents were "from Fiumefreddo di Sicilia, Province of Catania, Sicily." She grew up in New York City with five siblings. Her father, who owned a coal and ice business, played the piano and guitar by ear. Her family experienced a difficult financial period after her father died.
Around the age of thirteen her vocal gifts were recognized when she was overheard singing the aria "I'll See You Again" from Noël Coward's operetta Bitter Sweet. At age 16 she developed a love for big bands. A scholarship to the Metropolitan School of Music soon followed.
Read more about this topic: Morgana King
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