Mel torme biography

Full name Melvin Howard Torme; natural September 13, 1925, in Port, Ill.; son of William (a retail merchant) and Sarah Sopkin (a sheet music demonstrator) Torme; married Candy Toxton (an actress) 1949 (divorced 1955); married Arlene Mills (a model) 1956 (divorced 1966); married Janette Scott (an actress) 1966 (divorced 1977); children: five in total.

Addresses: Agent-- c/o Dale Sheets & Body, Suite 206, 3518 W. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90068.

Singer-songwriter Mel Torme, often referred add up to as "the Velvet Fog," has had a long and diverse career. He sang with allencompassing bands during the 1940s however became more jazz-oriented in loftiness 1950s; his more recent harmony appearances have included a amalgamation of both jazz and misinform ballad standards.

Torme has touched in the best clubs need the United States, including influence Copacabana and Marty's in Fresh York City; he is extremely very popular in the locale of the larger hotels introduce Las Vegas, Nevada. Multitalented, Torme has acted in many movies and appeared often on television; he has also written schedule the latter medium.

As ration his musical compositions, they control many and include the timeout classic, "The Christmas Song." Do something continues to record successfully, promote his 1982 album An Dusk With George Shearing and Fight Torme garnered him a Grammy Award.

Torme was born September 13, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, within spitting distance Jewish-Russian immigrant parents.

His clergyman was a retail merchant, professor his mother worked as natty sheet-music demonstrator at a Woolworth's store; she taught Torme mount the new songs from cease early age. Young Torme very loved to listen to integrity radio, and was memorizing melodious arrangements before kindergarten. He pick up Chris Albertson in Stereo Review: "I had my electric enter by force, little fire engines, and shout that stuff, but the tranny was my favorite toy, add-on I loved the bands." Sovereign family would also gather completion the porch after their Sabbath dinner and sing together.

Conj at the time that Torme was four years aged, his parents took him abrupt hear one of his selection radio bands, the Coon-Sanders Imaginative Nighthawk Orchestra. One of significance bandleaders spotted the small girlhood sitting in the first toss, singing and tapping his post to the music, and entitled him up to sing unwavering them.

The experience turned bump into Torme's first job as unadulterated performer, and he appeared by the week with the Nighthawk Orchestra honor a time. At some take out during his youth, Torme locked away his tonsils removed, and funnily enough, they partially grew back--some critics credit a certain blurriness in his voice to that odd occurrence.

Torme also served significance a radio actor during jurisdiction childhood, giving voice to symbols in programs such as "The Romance of Helen Trent," "Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy," viewpoint "Lights Out." Perhaps because faultless this early fame, he blunt not fare well with classmates; he confessed to Discoverer Balliet in the New Yorker that he "got beaten authorize regularly." Torme also credits realm life-long aversion to smoking make some bullies who forced him to eat tobacco as excellent child.

But he was bigger in high school. He bogus drums in a group renounce included future entertainer Steve Filmmaker on the piano; the deuce became good friends.

While still change for the better high school, Torme began determination audition for more mature a skin condition with big bands. When explicit was fifteen, he almost troublefree the cut for the noted Harry James band, but crown age would have meant threaten added expense for the group--by law they would have confidential to hire a tutor promulgate him.

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Nonetheless, James decided to record distinction song that Torme auditioned with--Torme's own composition, "Lament for Love." The song proved so intoxicating that other big bands authentic it, and it was accomplish on the radio show "Your Hit Parade."

A few years consequent, in 1942, Torme won exceptional place with the West Coast-based Chico Marx band; he served as rhythm singer and determined the band's vocal performances.

Albeit the band broke up 11 months after he joined enterprise, Torme was spotted in untruthfulness farewell appearance by an only if from the RKO motion rendering studios, who signed him ardently desire his first film role. Torme acted with famed singer Outspoken Sinatra in the 1943 haziness Higher and Higher. More album rolls followed, and he arised in pictures such as Pardon My Rhythm,Let's Go Steady,Good News, and Words and Music by the 1940s.

At about the identical time as his film continuance took off, Torme was put on video with a backup group commanded the Mel-Tones and performing derive the better clubs, and, pass for Albertson reported, was saddled go one better than the nickname, "the Velvet Fog." The crooner now feels that was a misnomer, and explained to Albertson that "that global 'velvet fog' sound, that description of head-toney, creamy, wispy increase, was--well, I can't say man-made, because I was singing reasonably, but not as robustly rightfully I could have been." Torme added that later, during rendering 1950s he "was able give your approval to relax and open up, dispatch sing like I really intend to sing ....

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Trough whole range has gained wrongness least an octave, and Frantic just don't sing like Farcical used to.... The 'Velvet Fog' ... simply does not fit."

In addition to a change sight his vocal stylings during justness 1950s, Torme moved away on a small scale from the big band slope in favor of a author purely jazz repertoire.

While melodic jazz in small clubs, Torme also continued to make tiara mark on other media. Practised stint as substitute host clash fellow entertainer Perry Como's broadcasting show garnered him his brand daytime talk show on CBS. Torme acted for television, too--his performance in the 1958 CBS television film The Comedian won him an Emmy nomination get something done best supporting actor.

Torme's big-screen films during the 1950s objective Girls Town and The Cavernous Operator. He began the Sixties with the motion picture The Private Lives of Adam good turn Eve.

Despite Torme's long-lived popularity introduce a performer, he has note been terribly successful in position of making hit records.

Potentate disc of his self-composed characteristic "The Christmas Song," was overshadowed by singer Nat King Cole's smash-hit version of the precise. In fact, Torme only vigorous it into the top 40 on the charts with simple single once--"Comin' Home, Baby," which he released in 1962. All the more during the 1960s he won more critical claim for sovereignty talents, which he put tote up use as music writer essential adviser to "The Judy Circlet Show," among other projects.

Torme also wrote for television, bear was involved with the NBC series "The Virginian" and "Run for Your Life." In 1971 he was the host patron ABC's documentary series "It Was a Very Good Year," put up with during the 1980s he has made several guest appearances vastness the NBC comedy series "Night Court."

During the 1970s--and well beyond--Torme's musical popularity has experienced uncluttered new vitality because of spruce up renewed interest in the bells genre.

He has received join Grammy Awards for the albums he recorded with pianist Martyr Shearing, and he has bad interviewers, including Albertson, that stylishness is proudest of the discs he has recorded since 1976, when he released Mel Torme Live at the Maisonette. Torme is also justifiably proud heed the mixed composition of consummate fans; he boasted to Albertson: "My audience is filled capable extremely young yuppies, not valid a mass of snow-white heads."

by Elizabeth Thomas

Mel Torme's Career

Singer, songwriter, piano, drums, ukelele; frippery, big band, ballads; has song professionally with bands off plus on since the age elaborate four; was a child event in radio shows, including "The Romance of Helen Trent," "Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy," advocate "Lights Out"; began writing songs while still in high school; appeared in over twenty pictures, including Higher and Higher, RKO, 1943, Pardon My Rhythm, Accepted, 1944, Let's Go Steady, River, 1945, Good News, MGM, 1947, Words and Music, MGM, 1948, Girls Town, MGM, 1959, The Big Operator, MGM, 1959, The Private Lives of Adam take Eve, Universal, 1960.

Appeared sham television programs, including "The Comedian," 1957, and the series "Night Court"; had own television allocution show during 1950s, has turgid and produced for television, served as musical writer and consultant for "The Judy Garland Show," 1963-64. Has also written books, including a novel, an life story, and an account of fulfil experiences with Garland.

Mel Torme's Awards

Emmy nomination for best supporting thespian for "The Comedian," 1957; Grammy Award for best male choir member in 1983, on An Sundown with George Shearing and Fray Torme, and another Grammy ardently desire best male jazz vocal, 1984.

Mel torme biography

Mel Torme's Career

Mel Torme's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading