Morris Albert

Maurício Alberto Kaisermann (born 7 September 1951),[1] better known by his stage name Morris Albert, is a Brazilian singer and songwriter best known for his 1974 single "Feelings".

Morris Albert
Birth nameMaurício Alberto Kaisermann
Born (1951-09-07) 7 September 1951
São Paulo, Brazil
GenresPop, soft rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician, producer
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, piano
Years active1973–present
LabelsRCA Records

Biography

Albert was born into an Austrian immigrant family. At the beginning of his musical career, he was a member of several bands as a singer and guitarist. After the success of the first single "Feel the Sunshine", he recorded his debut album in 1974 under the title Feelings, which reached No. 1 in his homeland and stayed on the charts for half a year. The single "Feelings" was a soft rock hit song and became a one-hit wonder for Albert. The ballad reached the top ten U.S. Billboard charts in the summer of 1975 and sold more than 1 million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on 13 November 1975.[2]

Artist Biography from www.allmusic.com by Timothy Monger Brazilian singer/songwriter Morris Albert was vaulted into the international spotlight in 1974 with the soft rock ballad "Feelings," which went on to become a Top Ten hit in the U.S. and the U.K. The song and his 1975 debut album of the same name would end up being the most successful releases of Albert's career. He followed them up in 1976 with a self-titled LP that peaked at number 135 on the U.S. pop charts before his star quietly faded. While the São Paulo native continued to release pop records in Brazil over the coming decades, the legacy of his lone hit was somewhat marred in the 1980s when French singer/songwriter Loulou Gasté sued Albert, claiming that the melody for "Feelings" was lifted directly from his 1957 song "Pour Tio." Since 1989, the authorship of "Feelings" has legally been credited to both Gasté and Albert.[3]


In 1978 in the United States, he recorded another hit, "She's My Girl", among several other of his compositions.[4] He currently lives in Italy with his family.

"Feelings" controversy

"Feelings" was based on a melody composed by French songwriter Loulou Gasté. Albert originally claimed the melody as his own, but was later successfully sued by Gasté in 1988, for stealing of intellectual property.[5] In 1988, William Sheffield defended Morris Albert Kaisermann in a plagiarism lawsuit over his hit song "Feelings".[6]. Gasté received approximately 1/2 million dollars US for the plagiarism lawsuit over his melody in the 1957 French movie soundtrack of "Le feu aux poudres".[7]

Discography

Albums
  • 1974: After We've Left Each Other
  • 1975: Feelings – US No. 37
  • 1976: Morris Albert – US No. 135
  • 1977: Love and Life
  • 1979: Once Upon a Man
  • 1981: Solitude
  • 1983: Beginnings
  • 1996: Sentimientos
  • 1999: Lover
  • 2003: Moods
  • 2004: Cuore

Sources:[8]

Singles
  • 1972: "Feel the Sunshine"
  • 1973: "The Throat"
  • 1973: "The Man from Nazareth"
  • 1974: "Sentimientos"
  • 1975: "Feelings" – US #6; US AC #2; UK #4, SA #5,[9] AU #5, NZ #4,[10]
  • 1975: "Leave Me"
  • 1976: "Sweet Loving Man" – U.S. No. 93, Easy Listening #15; Canada #83, AC #17
  • 1976: "She's My Girl"
  • 1976: "Memories"
  • 1976: "So Nice"
  • 1977: "Conversation"
  • 1977: "Someone, Somehow"
  • 1982: "Do You Miss Me"
  • 2003: "Empty View"
  • 2004: "Cuore" (with Mietta)

Sources:[11][8]

See also

References
  1. Heenan, Andrew. "Real names of famous folks". Famous Folk. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008.
  2. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 353. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  3. "Morris Albert Biography, Songs, & Albums". allmusic.com. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  4. "Maurice Albert: biographie, actualités, photo et vidéos". Nostalgie.fr. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  5. Louis Gasté v. Morris Kaiserman, 863 F.2d 1061 (2d Cir. K1988) Columbia.edu
  6. "Gaste v. Morris Kaiserman". law.gwu.edu. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  7. "Le feu aux poudres (1957)". imdb.com. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  8. Charts & Awards at AllMusic
  9. Samson, John; Kimberley, Chris; Farquharson, Kevin (September–October 2000). "SA Charts 1969 – 1989". South Africa's Rock List. Retrieved 7 January 2014. As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion
  10. "flavour of new zealand - search rianz". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  11. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 207/8. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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