Morris Dorley

Morris Dorley (born 1946), also known as Molly Dolly, was a Liberian musician and guitarist. Dubbed the "Godfather of Liberian music", he was a major figure in his country's electric highlife scene. Dorley started a local band called the Sunset Boys after learning to play palm-wine music. The hit track "Grand Gedeh Oh! Oh!" helped him and his band become well-known in the late 1960s. Dorley recorded over six compilation LPs at ABC Studio during the late 1970s, and is known for other songs such as "Who Are You Baby", "Osia", and "Voinjama". His compilation projects include Bilo Lolo, Mena Mouna, Rally Time, The Sound of Liberia, and Young Girl. Dorley died from an alcohol-related illness while residing in an IDP camp called VOA.

Life and career According to oral history, Morris Dorley was born in 1946, in Bomi County, Liberia, and is a member of the Gola tribe. He learned to play the congoma (Congoma is a giant hand piano.) Dorley started making palm-wine music after receiving a guitar from an unnamed American individual, and later formed a local band called the Sunset Boys. (According to other sources, the group was known as the Sunshine Boys.) Dorley recorded over six compilation LPs at ABC Studio during the late 1970s, and is known for the hit singles "Who Are You Baby", "Osia", and "Voinjama". Dorley struggled financially despite gaining sub-regional fame. He never desired or trusted a management team to negotiate equitable contracts on his behalf and was not formally educated. Record producers who collaborated with him also took advantage of him. Dorley stopped recording music professionally in 1996 and died a few years later.

Death Dorley died from an alcohol-related illness while living in an internally displaced person camp called VOA, which is located on the outskirts of Monrovia. Legacy and artistry Dorley was known as the "Godfather of Liberian music" and is recognized as one of the pioneering musicians who established a demand for Liberian music. Roberts said Dorley was the "precursor for many of us and even today's generational Liberian artists". Radio personality George Kiadii said Dorley's "unique talent" was his ability to instantaneously compose songs from "a coherent mental image". Music producer Charles Snetter called Dorley the "forgotten father of Liberia's music industry" and said his performance at Festac 77 eclipsed every other African act that took the stage. Dorley sang in a high-pitched voice and primarily made Liberian electric highlife and palm-wine music. He also delved into other musical styles such as méringue, rumba, and dagomba highlife.

Selected discography

Studio albums Marry Woman Singles "Grand Gedeh Oh! Oh!" "Who Are You Baby" "Osia" "Voinjama" "Liberia Is My Home" "Alive and Well"

Compilation albums Bilo Lolo (1975) Rally Time (1977) Mena Mouna (1977) The Sound of Liberia (1977) Young Girl (1977)