Morty Okin is an American musician, bandleader and booking agent. Born and raised in a suburb of Detroit in 1970, he started playing trumpet at the age of 8 years old after his father (a public school band teacher and clarinetist with the world renowned Detroit Concert Band) brought home a trumpet one day. Morty took to it, winning many top awards in Michigan’s Solo & Ensemble competitions as well as playing in concert bands and orchestras as well as jazz big bands throughout high school. Most notably during those years are The University Of Michigan’s Interlochen All-State program Concert Band and Orchestra, The Michigan All-State Honors Band and The Michigan State Fair Honors Band, all from 1984-1988. Morty attended Eastern Michigan University as a trumpet performance major, landing a spot in the the top wind ensemble, symphony orchestra and pit orchestras as a freshmen through junior years. His college experience ended a few years later when he moved to San Francisco with an original psychedelic funk band he was playing with at the time.

 Arriving in San Francisco in 1991, Morty delved head first into performing and recording with as many bands and genres as possible as a band member or guest musician. Frustrated with being at the mercy of other bands to make a living, he soaked up other reputable bandleader’s knowledge and experience like a sponge and in 1994 formed his own band The New Morty Show, a 10-piece swing band featuring SF legends Connie Champagne and Vise Grip. The band soon became a national touring act through the early 2000s and was at the forefront of the neo-swing revival in the mid 1990s. The band recorded three full length albums from 1998-2001 and was featured on dozens of compilations. During the mid 90s-early 2000s the band caught the attention of Metallica’s Kirk Hammett who hired the band for some of his private parties and sat in on guitar, and Robin Williams who frequented the band’s shows at Bimbos 365 Club in SF.  In 1996, Pulitzer Prize winning Herb Caen, who also frequented shows with SF Mayor Willie Brown, wrote about the band “…The New Morty Show does the best duets since the golden era of Las Vegas lounge acts. Not to be missed”. In 1999 The New Morty Show was nominated as one of the top 100 best Bay Area bands of all time by San Francisco Chronicle pop music critic Joel Selvin, ultimately not making the final list. 

In 1997, Morty made Las Vegas history when he booked The New Morty Show to headline the grand opening of New York New York Hotel and Casino for a two week run. The band would continue regular runs there, as well as many other hotels on the strip through the early 2000s including the famed Hard Rock Hotel summer pool parties and the re-grand opening of Harrah’s. The late great Dick Clark booked the band for a show he produced called “Dancing Through the Decades” at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. On that bill was The New Morty Show, The Temptations and The Village People, hosted by Dick Clark. Through Dick Clark Productions, he also booked the band for two consecutive years on The Jerry Lewis Telethon in 1998-1999. During the 90s and early 2000s, The New Morty Show shared the stage with other great acts, some of which include Brian Setzer Orchestra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Reverend Horton Heat, Royal Crown Revue, Dave Wakeling & The English Beat, Taj Mahal, Hepcat, Save Ferris, Cherry Poppin Daddies, Pete Escovedo, Harry Connick Jr , Nancy Wilson, Charo, George Shearing, Richard Jeni, KC & The Sunshine Band, Squirrel Nut Zippers,  and Stroke 9,

Morty, while playing trumpet with other bands through the years, has had the privilege of opening for superstars including No Doubt, Janelle Monae, Tower of Power, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, The Selecter, Poi Dog Pondering, Butthole Surfers, Red Elvises and performing with Amanda Palmer, Jorge Santana, Levi Seacer jr., Brown Mark from The Revolution, Jerome Benton from The Time, Margaret Cho, Swingin Utters to name a few.

Discography:
1989  Captain Dave & The Psychedelic Lounge Cats – Self Titled Cassette, Live Show recording for WBCN (Self Label)
1990  Captain Dave & The Psychedelic Lounge Cats – 7” Single Free James Brown (Self Label)
1991  Captain Dave & The Psychedelic Lounge Cats – Deck of Winklers, Live Show recording for WBCN (Self Label)
1995  Symons New Blue Diamonds – Cram It Down (Hayseed Records)
1995  Broun Fellinis – Aphrokubist Improvisations, Vol 9 (Moonshine Music)
1995  Undercover S.K.A. – We’ve come for your daughter (Slimstyle)
1996  Shaka Ra – Make Waves – Benefiting Aids Relief & Health Care Featuring Neal Schon, Merl Saunders, Vernon “Ice” Black, Boni Boyer and many more. (World Pop Records)
1996  Pushing The Norton – Ace Café Compilation
1996  High Standard – Growing Up (Fat Wreck Chords)
1996  Skankin Pickle – Sing Along with Skankin Pickle (Dill Records)
1996  “Jack” – Motion Picture Soundtrack (Hollywood Pictures)
1998  “PB Swing” – Pottery Barn Compilation (Rock River Records)
1998  “JazzIz Swing” – JazzIz Magazine Compilation (Rock River Records)
1998  “Metal Rules” Hair band Tribute – Compilation (Smart/Smash/Priority Records)
1998  Swing Sucks – Compilation (Liberation Records)
1998  Swinging Utters – Five Lessons Learned (Fat Wreck Chords)
1998  The New Morty Show – Mortyfied (Slimstyle)
1998  Market Street: A Live Compilation from Cafe du Nord (Du Nord Records) 1998 Swing This Baby – Compilation (Beyond Records)
1998 Jump Up and Boogie – Compilation (Elektra/WEA)
1998 Ska: The Third Wave Checkered Box Set – Compilation (Beloved Records)
1998  Ska: The Third Wave Volume 5, “Swing It” – Compilation (Beloved Records)
1999  Swing It! – Compilation (Beloved Records)
1999  Next Generation Swing vol.2 –Compilation (Simitar Ent)
1999  Did Somebody Say Swing? – Compilation (Ripe Productions)
1999  Swing This Baby 2 –Compilation (Beyond Records)
1999  Ultra Swing Nouveau – Compilation (D.M. Records)
1999  We’re Swingin’- Compilation (Metacom Records)
1999  Rare Trax Vol.12 “Lets’s Swing” – Import Compilation (Rolling Stone Records, Germany)
1999  Swing Time! (Jazz FM Records)
1999  Wahrschauer CD Zum Heft 38 – German Compilation (Wahrschauer Magazine)
2000  Swing This Baby 3 – Compilation (Beyond Records)
2000  The New Morty Show – Rigomorty (Slimstyle)
2000  The New Morty Show – Straight Ahead (New Morty Show Records)
2000  Swing On The Wild Side – Import Compilation (Wolverine/ Frankie Boy Records, Germany)
2001  Rock and Roll Hell Yeah – Import Compilation (Wolverine/ Frankie Boy Records, Germany)
2001 The Joint Is Jumpin’ DVD (Image Entertainment)
2003  Swing-A-Billy Chatbusters – Import Compilation (Wolverine/ Frankie Boy Records, Germany)
2003  The Rudiments – Circle Our Empire 1990-93 (Asian Man Records/Lumberjack Mordam)
2004  The Monolith – Here Comes the Monolith (ML Records)
2005  Pop Swings – Compilation (Brunswick News)
2005  13 Years of Burning Rock and Roll – Import Compilation (Wolverine Records, Germany)
2005  20 Minute Loop – Yawn + House = Explosion (Fortune records)
2008  Rock’n Roll Is In My Soul – Import Compilation (Wolverine/ Frankie Boy Records, Germany)
2008  For Dancers Only! – Import Compilation (Wolverine/ Frankie Boy Records, Germany)
2008  20 Minute Loop – Not Yet Released (Fortune Records)
2008  Symons New Blue Diamonds – One Hundred Nights of Passion (Hayseed Records)
2010  Routine Jazz 6 – Japan Cassette Compilation (G-Stone Record)
2010  Foreverland – Studio demos (No Label)
2011  Jorge Santana – Gracias Madrecita (Barrio Gold Records/ Music Camp inc.)
2012  We Are The Last Men on Earth – A Girl Named Never (Independent Label)
2018  The Purple Ones – Live at The Sweetwater Music Hall (No Label)
1991-2023  Recorded on at least 100 demos for various bands in the San Francisco/Bay Area

Television and Film (Featuring The New Morty Show):

1990  “Take No Prisoners” Ep. #23 Live TV Concert at Capitol Theater, Flint MI of Captain Dave & The Psychedelic Lounge Cats
1996  “Jack” NMS in opening scene for Theatrical Release (Hollywood Pictures)
1998  The Jerry Lewis Telethon
1999  The Jerry Lewis Telethon
1999  Street Swing – DVD Dance Tutorial (Slimstyle)
1999  LaBoite Du Jazz–Live studio taping for Canadian television broadcast (MusicMax)
2000  North Beach Theatrical release/DVD – “Out of Control” featured (Fur Boat Films)
2004  Point Pleasant (Episode 3, DVD) (Fox Home Video)
2007  The Joint Is Jumpin DVD (MPI Home Video for PBS)

Books (Featuring The New Morty Show):

1998  The L.A. Music History Tour: A Guide To The Rock and Roll Landmarks of Los Angeles 2nd Ed by Art Fein (2.13.61 Publications)
1999  Swing! The New retro Renaissance by V.Vale (V/Search)
1999  The Swing Book by Degan Pener (Back Bay Books)
2000  Swing: Third Ear-The Essential Listening Companion by Scott Yanow (Miller Freeman Books)
2001   JazzTimes Magazine May Issue Vol.31 No.4
2004  Lonely Planet San Francisco 4th Ed by Richard Sterling and Tom Downs (Lonely Planet Publications)
2021    Hell Of A Hat – The Rise of ‘90s SKA and Swing by Kenneth Partridge (The Pennsylvania State University Press)

Artists/ Bands Morty has shared the stage with or opened for since 1989-2023 (in no particular order)

1. The Village People (opened for)
2. Poi Dog Pondering (opened for)
3. The Temptations (opened for)
4. Big Rude Jake (opened for)
5. No Doubt (They opened for Undercover SKA in 1993 at Paradise Lounge!)
6. Dave Wakeling (opened for)
7. The Selecter (opened for)
8. The Untouchables (opened for)
9. The Rudiments (played and recorded with)
10. Hepcat (opened for)
11. Let’s Go Bowling (opened for)
12. Save Ferris (opened for)
13. The Toasters (opened for)
14. Skankin Pickle (opened for, played with and recorded with)
15. Swingin Utters (recorded with)
16. High Standard (recorded with)
17. Cherry Poppin Daddies (opened for)
18. Brian Setzer Orchestra (opened for)
19. Royal Crown Revue (opened and played with)
20. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (opened for and played with)
21. Reverend Horton Heat (opened for and played with)
22. Stroke 9 (opened for)
23. Metallica’s Kirk Hammett (played with)
24. Earth, Wind & Fire (opened for)
25. Taj Mahal (opened for)
26. Pete Escovedo (played with in the movie “Jack” w/ Robin Willams)
27. Janelle Monae (opened for)
28. Harry Connick Jr (opened for)
29. Big Sam’s Funky Nation (opened for)
30. Nancy Wilson (opened for)
31. Charo (opened for)
32. George Shearing (opened for)
33. Amanda Palmer (played with)
34. Margaret Cho (played with)
35. Richard Jeni (opened for)
36. Broun Fellinis (played and recorded with)
37. KC & The Sunshine Band (opened for)
38. Squirrel Nut Zippers (opened for)
39. Red Elvises (opened for)
40. Jorge Santana (played and recorded with)
41. Butthole Surfers (opened for)
42. Brown Mark and Matt (The Doctor) Fink from The Revolution (played with)
43.  Levi Seacer Jr. from Prince’s The New Power Generation (Played with in The Purple Ones for almost 8 years)
44. Rustee Allen (Sly & The Family Stone, Robin Trower, Bobby Womack) (Currently plays with in The Purple Ones since 2018)
44. The Great Dick Clark (Onstage – He MCd his show with NMS, The Temptations and The Village People)
45. Kool and The Gang (opened for)