Mel Torme in 1979. Photo courtesy of Alan Light.
We don’t bandy about much with the words child prodigy, but we will today. Mel Tormé first sang professionally at the age of four. He was born in September of 1925. So about the time the stock market crashes, he’s starting his professional career singing with an orchestra in Chicago. Hmmm.
As a mode of foreshadowing here, Mel attended Chicago’s Shakespeare Elementary School. (Did I mention the word prodigy?) He picked up the drums in elementary school. I should feel bad for his parents and neighbors—but hey this is Mel we’re talking about.
About the time he wrote his first song, he joined the bugle corp. Three years later, his first published song, “Lament to Love,” became a hit recording for Harry James. Yes, that Harry James . . . Not bad for a 16-year-old.
While still in his teens, he sang, arranged music, and played drums for a band led by Chico Marx of the Marx Brothers. Yet, the only way I can carry a tune is in a bucket.
In 1943 he made his movie debut in Frank Sinatra’s first film, the musical Higher and Higher. Let’s see, he graduated from high school until 1944.A very busy young man, he formed his own band called Mel Tormé and the Mel-Tones modeled after Frank Sinatra and The Pied Pipers around the same time.
In 1946 he collaborated with song writer Bob Wells and is best know for the Tormé-Wells song, “The Christmas Song,” You may know it as “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”. Tormé wrote the music to the song in 45 minutes sitting by the pool during a summer vacation. It was not one of his favorite songs, referring to it as “my annuity”.
It was his appearance in the 1947 film Good News that made him a teen idol for many years. Later in 1947, Tormé went went solo and while performing in New York’s legendary Copacabana (thank you Barry Manilow—yes I’m a Fannilow), he was given the nickname, “The Velvet Fog” by then local disc jockey, Fred Robbins, thinking to honor his high tenor and smooth vocal style, but Tormé detested the nickname. Tormé would later refer to it as “this Velvet Frog voice”.
During this time he perfected his scat improvisations but held a firm belief in staying true to the writer’s intent for the song.
Of course, I will always love him for his 1995 Mountain Dew commercial.
He was 70-years-old. You go Mel!
A stroke in 1996 ended his singing career and in 1999 another stroke ended his life—after he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Tormé works with the most beautiful voice a man is allowed to have, and he combines it with a flawless sense of pitch . . . . As an improviser he shames all but two or three other scat singers and quite a few horn players as well.” —Will Friedwald, Jazz Singing
The Blog of Funny Names 
Thanks for this! I love Mel.
Did you ever see the Seinfeld episode with Mel and Kramer?
OMG is that funny. I never saw that episode. What was up with Kramer’s shoes?
If I remember, they were a prototype of some kind of super sports shoe that someone had asked Kramer to try out earlier.
That would explain it!
i remember him because they always brought him up in the old tv series, ‘night court.’ too bad he never did a concert with the ‘velvet teddy bear – teddy pendegrass’, now that would have been a lot of velvet smoothness in one place.
I love the way you think Beth, that would have been one heck of a concert.
And I remember night court. I think it was Judge Harry Stone who had the Mel thing going on.
Yup, that’s my memory, too–of Judge Harry T. Stone on “Night Court” worshipping Mel Torme and hating Barry Manilow. I think he kept a picture of him, too.
he did. he idolized him and had a picture of him indeed. i think i remember him meeting his idol at one point, if i’m not remembering wrong ?
No, I think you’re right. That rings a bell. Bull must have been twice the size of Mel Torme.
Never saw the Dew commercial and never watched a Seinfeld show more than a few minutes at a time, so never saw Mr. Torme either time. But I’ve always loved his voice, probably because I’d heard it as a kid when my brother (a Broadway drummer in the 60s) played him. And gee, now I can even admit to loving the little Copacabana kid as well! 😉
Love that you have that connection via your brother. Your reference to the Copacabana kid cracks me up. 😉
“The only way I can carry a tune is in a bucket” – love it!
Sometimes you have to tell it like it is. 😀
Reblogged this on Fannie Cranium's and commented:
This month’s contribution to The Blog of Funny Names.
count me in on the night court memories, too! Thanks for sharing, Tracy–always learning something new here. Absolutely a child prodigy, wow.
Hope you’re feeling tip-top. Haven’t seen you around, so was starting to wonder. ?? Take good care of you and yours. And now it’s time for me to find another FNiF. How how how does that happen so quickly?
Loved Night Court.
Funny you should mention my absence lately. I’ve been battling a spring cold. Just something about the change in the weather this year.
Sorry I’m late to the party Fannie! Mel’s velvety voice will keep me nice and calm though – what a smoothie! Awesome post as always, my friend 🙂
Thanks Amb. Glad you could make it.