Music
Scott Morgan
· singer, guitarist, songwriter
Ann Arbor soul-rock singer who fronted the Rationals in the 1960s and later co-led Sonic's Rendezvous Band with the MC5's Fred “Sonic” Smith.
- Detroit years
- 1960s–2010s
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Morgan grew up in Ann Arbor and started the Rationals as a teenager; their 1964 cover of Barrett Strong's “Money” caught the ear of local manager Jeep Holland, and the band became one of Michigan's top garage and blue-eyed soul acts, with the MC5 opening for them in 1968. After the Rationals split around 1970 he formed Guardian Angel, then joined Fred “Sonic” Smith, the Stooges' Scott Asheton and Gary Rasmussen in Sonic's Rendezvous Band. The supergroup released only one single, “City Slang,” but its live shows at Detroit's Bookie's and Ann Arbor's Second Chance became legend through bootlegs and later archival releases. Morgan went on to lead the Scott Morgan Band, Scots Pirates and the Hydromatics, and recorded with Detroit and Scandinavian garage musicians into the 2000s, remaining a central figure of Ann Arbor's music scene.
Highlights
- Founder and singer of the Rationals (1960s)
- Co-leader of Sonic's Rendezvous Band, known for the single “City Slang” (1978)
- Later bands included Scots Pirates and the Hydromatics
- Played with Stooges drummer Scott Asheton in several bands
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Performed here · 1978–1980
Bookie's Club 870
Demolished · 1978–1982
Detroit punk club where Sonic's Rendezvous Band played the high-energy shows later circulated on bootlegs. The building burned in 1988.
Performed here · late 1970s
Second Chance (Ann Arbor)
Closed
Ann Arbor club that was a home base for Sonic's Rendezvous Band and Destroy All Monsters.