The multitasking mix-mistress came by her rather unusual vocation "by accident" back in 1994, when she was tending bar at an Atlantic City taproom.
"They had a great jukebox," she recalled, "and while I was working I was singing with it. A customer said, 'You have such a beautiful voice. Why aren't you singing?' "
Morro took the suggestion to the bar's owner, who was skeptical that such an attraction would go over in "a shot-and-beer" joint. "He gave me a one-month trial," she said. "In two weeks, he put up a billboard."
Among those who saw the advertisement was Gomes. "Dennis came to see what I do and hired me [for the Trop] on the spot."
"I thought she was the most phenomenal thing I'd ever seen," said Gomes. "She's an extraordinary singer. Combine that with her ability to mix drinks and make change and never miss a note . . . she's incredible."
Gomes left Tropicana in 2005, and new management there let Morro go shortly thereafter. But Gomes kept in touch with her and made a promise: "If I ever get anything in Atlantic City, I'm gonna bring you back."
He made good on that pledge, and installed Morro at 25 Hours, where she sings for 30 minutes on the hour between 4 and 10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Morro, who vocalizes to instrumental tracks contained on a laptop computer, takes pride in hardly ever needing to look at the screen for lyrics. Her repertoire is eclectic, to say the least, covering everything from her vocal hero, Barbra Streisand, and Patsy Cline ("Crazy" is her most-requested number) to Jerry Lee Lewis and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
Asked what she won't sing, she immediately replied, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," the album-side-length totem of late-'60s psychedelia by Iron Butterfly - a song she swore has been requested.
As for her personal preferences, Morro declined to name a favorite tune. Instead, she said, "I like singing songs that evoke the best responses from people."
