Mel Tormé(1925-1999)
- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
A professional singer at the age of three, Mel Torme was a genuine
musical prodigy. As a teenager, he played the drums in
Chico Marx's band and earned the nickname
"The Velvet Fog" because of his smooth, mellow tenor voice. In
the 1940s, he formed his own group, the Mel-Tones, one of the first
jazz-influenced vocal groups. As a solo musician, he had a number one
hit in 1949 called "Careless Hands" and several lesser hits. He also
acted in films and wrote several books, including biographies of
Judy Garland and
Buddy Rich. Torme's career included some
songwriting, too. One of his most well-known compositions, "The
Christmas Song", was written in midsummer as Torme relaxed by the pool.
