The Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center

New Documentary on Barbara Morrison Focuses on Legendary Singer’s Love of Music and Community

Joanie Harmon, Contributing WriterMarch 13, 2025

A documentary about jazz and blues legend Barbara Morrison and her impact on music and humanity, is in the works. Filmmaker Tony Villani and Tim Morganfield, CEO of the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center and the California Jazz and Blues Museum, lead a shared effort to keep “the Queen of Leimert Park’s” universal message of love and community alive.

Local News

Barbara Morrison: Still a Performer at the Center of Hearts

Kimberly Shelby, Contributing WriterMarch 2, 2023

One year after revered songstress, vocal teacher and community activist Barbara Morrison’s passing at age 72, her legacy is humming along in full swing. The City of Los Angeles has renamed the corner of 43rd Street and Degnan (where the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center has stood for the past 14 years) “Barbara Morrison Square.” It was dedicated on the singer’s birthday last year, September 10, which also marked the date of the First Annual Barbara Morrison Jazz and Blues Festival.

Crenshaw & Around Local

The California Jazz and Blues Museum

Brian W. Carter, Staff WriterJune 29, 2017

Based in Leimert Park, the museum pays homage to local legends of jazz and blues