Historical Development Essay: A path through The Velvet Fog: Life of Mel Tormé

Definition

An in-depth biography of musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author: Mel Tormé

Context

1- Early Years
2- Going Solo
3- Pop to Jazz
4- Can’t Escape Rock ’n Roll
5- Grammy after Grammy
6- Last Years

Early Years

Mel Tormé, full name Melvin Howard Tormé, was born on September 13, 1925, in Chicago, United States.^[1] He was the son of Jewish-Russian immigrants and grew up in the south-side of Chicago which at the time was the centre of African-American culture and business.^[2] Tormé’s parents, who were passionate about films, named their son after Melvyn Douglas and his sister, Myrna, after Myrna Loy. His Father, William Wove David Tormé ^[3], sold dry goods from his car. His mother, Sabina Tormé, played piano at a retail store to demonstrate sheet music.^[4] Music was deeply ingrained in the Tormé family, as they frequently gathered on the front stoop to sing for their neighbours.

Mel Tormé began singing at the age of three ^[5] and he had his first performance at the age of 4 when him and his family visited Chicago’s Blackhawk for dinner and to hear The Coon Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra perform. The Bandleaders Joe Sanders and Carlton Coon ^[6] noticed Mel Tormé singing along and invited him onto stage and Tormé san “You’re Driving Me Crazy.” He later became a regular performer with The Coon Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra and was paid $15 a night plus dinner for him and his family. This small gig opened big doors for his career. By the time he turned 6, he already had been working regularly in vaudeville units and on the radio as a singing-actor.^[7] In 1934, Tormé won first place in a children radio contest at the Century of Progress World’s Fair for potential child radio performers.^[6:1] This accomplishment led him to a radio career outside of Chicago that lasted until his voice changed when he hit his teenage years.

In Shakespeare Elementary School in Chicago he started playing the drum in a drum-and-bugle corps. Later he attended Hyde Park High School in Chicago during which he wrote his first published song “Lament to Love” at age 15. He auditioned the song for bandleader Harry James, who was initially interested in having him join the band. However, James ultimately decided Tormé was too young. Despite this, he recorded the song for Columbia Records, and it reached number ten on the charts in August 1941, where it remained for a week ^[6:2]. This accomplishment reached Ben Pollack (American drummer) who was putting together a band to be fronted by comedian Chico Marx of the Marx Brothers. At 16 Tormé left Chicago for Los Angeles in 1942 and joined Ben Pollack’s band as the vocal group leader and later substituting as the drummer ^[6:3]. The band broke up in 1943. Tormé made his first film appearance in Higher and Higher (1944), which was also Frank Sinatra’s film debut ^[4:1]. Later Mel Tormé joined a singing group called “The Schoolkids” which he later renamed “Mel-Tones”. He became the lead singer and arranger along with Betty Beveridge, Ginny O’Connor, Bernie Parke, and Diz Disruhd (soon replaced by Les Baxter). Mel-Tones were very successful, they released several records and were featured on other musicians records such as “Artie Shaw plays Cole Porter” ^{[8] [9]}. Mel Tormé wanted to pursue a solo career upon the suggestion of his manager Carlos Gastel but he continued to occasionally work with the Mel-Tones. Carsol Gastel also managed Nat King Cole and his vocal group The King Cole Trio. In 1946 they ended up recording Tromé and Robert Wells’ co-written iconic “The Christmas Song”. This tune became Tormé’s most famous composition and at the time it peaked at number three in late December 1946. ^[6:4]

Going Solo

Before debuting as a solo artist Tormé was drafted to serve for the army, however was quickly sent home due to his flat-feet. He quickly got back into the field and started recording with Capitol records ^[10]. In 1947 Tormé appeared in the movie “Good News” as Danny which was a big success and he became a teen idol ^[4:2]. He received his nickname “The Velvet Fog” from a disc jockey (Fred Robbins) after singing in Copacabana, New York (source). Tormé himself was verbal about having a dislike for the nickname:

“This “Velvet Fog” nonsense took hold—it was coined by a disc jockey in New York, Fred Robbins. I never used it, but other people did; it was never in my contract to use it, but they latched on to that.” ^[11]

Mel Tormé

He signed with Capitol Records in 1949 and released his first number one hit: “Careless Hands”, followed by other of his hits such as “Blue Moon” (#20) and “Again” (#3).^[12]

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In the 50s he continued recording singles and also released a duet with Peggy Lee: “The Old Master Painter” (#9). However his acting career was not doing as well, Tormé’s scenes in the “The Duchess of Idaho” were cut down to a handful of lines and his song was removed from the final cut ^[6:5].

Pop to Jazz

As his first composing projects, Tormé released “Mel Tormé’s California Suite [Bethlehem]” which was his move away from crooning and traditional pop. The project was initiated in 1949 but the recording was finalised in 1957. It featured Peggy Lee on vocals and arrangers Billy May and Neal Hefti and Marty Paich who was also a close friend of Tormé’s. ^[15]

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Tormé recorded his final session with Capitol Records, which was also his last chart hit for the next 10 years: “Anywhere I Wander”. After this project he took a year long break before signing with Coral Records. He recorded many singles with Coral in 54’. In December Coral recorded Tormé’s very first live album “Live at the Crescendo” in Los Angeles which was released in 1955. Later Tormé signed with a small jazz label: Bethlehem Records, with them he released a ballad album, “It’s a Blue World” (August 1955), an album with pianist/arranger Marty Paich: “Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette” (January 1956) and a studio-cast album of Porgy and Bess featuring him as Porgy and Frances Faye as Bess (May 1956).

In Fall of 1955 Mel Tormé toured internationally performing in Australia and the UK. Coinciding with his first visit to Europe, another song (“Mountain Greenery”) from a live album he recorded with Coral records later hit charts in the UK in spring of 1956. In February 1957 he recorded “Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire” with Marty Paich in Los Angeles. Bethlehem Records, dealing with financial issues, re-released “The California Suite” with extra tracks, and the label shut down after their final release of Tormé “Songs for Any Taste”. In the summer, he recorded an album with Philips Records for his British fans during his visit and called it “Tormé Meets the British”. In November 1957, Tormé signed with Tops Label to record “Prelude to a Kiss” which was marketed under different titles and cover art to increase visibility. ^[6:6]

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Tormé had an appearance in the TV drama “The Comedian” in 1957, and was nominated for best supporting actor but the category got canceled ^[17]. This launched wonders for his acting career leading to a lot of roles in low-budget film, such as “The Filmmakers” in 1958, “The Big Operator” in 1989, “Girls Town” in 1959, “Walked Like A Dragon" in 1960, (he wrote the title song), “The Private Lives of Adam and Eve” in 1961. In 1958, Tormé coined recording, a jazz oriented repertoire for the Verve Records, he recorded with Ella Fitzgerald. Over the next four years, Tormé released eight albums:

1. Tormé (1958)
2. Olé Tormé: Mel Tormé Goes South of the Border with Billy May (1958)
3. Back in Town (with the Mel-Tones) (1959)
4. Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley (1959)
5. Swingin’ on the Moon (1960)
6. Broadway, Right Now! (with Margaret Whiting) (1960)
7. I Dig the Duke! I Dig the Count! (1961)
8. My Kind of Music (1961)

These albums did well within the Jazz community, although they were not big sellers. In the 60’ Verve became a larger company, no longer an independent Jazz label. ^[6:7]

Can’t Escape Rock ’n Roll

Tormé decided to sign with Atlantic records, hoping that the owners, Ertegün brothers Ahmet and Nesuhi, would be more interested in his work ^[6:8]. However, Atlantic records, wanted Tormé to make more pop-oriented music. Tormé wanted to record “Mel Tormé at the Redhill”, a live album cut in March 1962, but Atlanta got him to sing the bluesy single “Comin’ Home Baby” in September 62, which led to Tormé hitting the Top 40 after a 10-year absence ^[18], and earned him his first two Grammy nominations (Best Solo Performance, Male, and Best Rhythm & Blues Recording). Tormé himself did not enjoy this style of singing and had no care for the record:

"Rock music is heinous, I’m not a teenagers’ singer. My steady market is the Young Marrieds.” ^[18:1]

Mel Tormé

In the spring of 1963, Torme was the musical advisor for the television series “The Judy Garland Show”. He made arrangements and wrote special material for the program, which ended on March 29, 1964, as it was cancelled. In the 1963 Tormé took time from “The Judy Garland Show” to record he title song for the film “Sunday in New York”, he got featured in the credits. He also recorded an accompanying LP, titled “Mel Tormé, sing Sunday in New York and Other Songs About New York”. These were his last recordings with the Atlantic label. After finishing, Judy Garland show, Tormé decided to return to live performing. He also was with Columbia records and recorded a few singles during the year (1964). He took some time off from recording to play himself in the movie, “The Patsy”, which was released in the summer of 1964. He recorded his first LP with Columbia,“That’s All”, in December 1964 in March 1965. To his surprise, Columbia Records turned out no different than Atlantic Records, they wanted Tormé to record pop and rock songs which did not align with his musical style. The 1966 LP “Right Now!” Includes songs such as “Homeward Bound” "Red Rubber Ball” and “Secret Agent Man” which were pop-oriented repertoire. Despite Columbia’s pressure, Tormé scored a Top Ten Easy Listening hit in the summer of 1967 with “Lover’s Roulette,” from his penultimate session at the label, before leaving Columbia by the end of the year ^[6:9].

The summer of ’66 Torme appeared in the film, “A man called Adam”.playing himself. He also recorded “All That Jazz” for the soundtrack on Reprise Records. He appeared and co-wrote an episode on run for your life, and he was also involved in the creative production. Later he adapted his wester novel “Dollarhide” into an episode of the Virginian, (he wrote the novel in the 50’s under a pseudonym) he also acted in it. Torme noticed that recording (the kind of music the labels wanted) was not something he was passionate about anymore. It was just something he continued to do in order to promote his live performances. In 1968, he signed with Liberty Records, and he recorded “Day in the life of Bonnie and Clyde”, an LP, which included his own composition (the title track) and songs from the 20s and 30s. In 1969, Torme return to Capitol Records and he recorded two albums, “A Time for Us”, and “Raindrop Keeps Falling on My Head”. He later described these albums as “wonderfully forgettable”. After these recordings, he disappeared from the recording scene for several years, but continued to regularly perform live. In May of 1971 Tormé made a return to television, hosting the documentary series “It Was a Very Good Year”, which ran until the end of August. In ’7,4 he starred in the movie “ Snowman” an d continued making small appearances of singing and acting on TV for the rest of his career. ^[6:10]

Grammy after Grammy

September 74’, Tormé recorded a live album during their performance at the Maisonette Room as the St. Regis Hotel in New York with Al Porcino & His Orchestra. This recording with Atlantic Records earned him his 3rd Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for his “Gershwin Medley”. In 1976 Torme signed a new contract with Gryphon Records and recorded an LP: “Tormé! A New Album” in London in June 1977. Then in 78’ came his fourth Grammy nomination for his recording with drummer Buddy Rich: “For the First Time with drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich”. Then in 1979 he had is 4th nomination for the “Tormé! A New Album”. Then another nomination in the same category for his LP “Mel Tormé and Friends Recorded Live at Marty’s New York City”, recorded under Fined Records; which also reached number 44 on the jazz Billboard chart.

To summarise his 5 Grammy nominations in 6 years:

1978: Best Jazz Vocal Performance for: “Together Again”

1979: Best Jazz Vocal Performance for: “Tormé! A New Album”

1981: Best Jazz Vocal Performance for: “Mel Tormé and Friends Recorded Live at Marty’s New York City”

In 1982 “Encore at Marty’s” Was also released under Flair Records. By the early 1980s, as traditional pop music regained popularity, Tormé established himself as a respected jazz singer, performing globally and collaborating with pianist George Shearing at the Peacock Court of the Hotel Mark Hopkins in San Francisco. This concert was recorded by Concord Records and reached number 34 on jazz charts led Tormé to his seventh Grammy.^[6:11]

1982: (Won) Best Jazz Vocal Performance for: “An Evening with George Shearing & Mel Tormé”

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Tormé won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in February 1983, he also spoken about how he felt that Shearing deserved equal credit. He again had a series of nominations and awards:

1983: (Won) Best Jazz Vocal Performance for: “Top Drawer” (with George Shearing)

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1984: Best Jazz Vocal Performance for: “An Evening at Charlie’s” (live with George Shearing)

1986 : Best Jazz Vocal Performance for: “An Elegant Evening” (studio album with George Shearing)

In May 1986 Torme took a break from collaborating with Shearing and recorded “Mel Tormé, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass” with Concord and hit number 11 on the jazz charts. Then he resumes his work with Shearing recording “A Vintage Year” in August 1987. A year later, Tormé collaborated once again with arranger Marty Paich and a newly reassembled Dek-tette to record the album “Reunion”. They continued their collaboration for a concert in Japan that resulted a live album “In Concert Tokyo” in December 1988. In the same year Tormé published an autobiography: “It Wasn’t All Velvet”.

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In August 1990, Tormé’s performance at the Concord Jazz Festival was recorded: “Night at the Concord Pavilion”. The following month, he reunited with George Shearing to record “Mel and George “Do” World War II", an album featuring songs from the 1940s. Two months later, he was performed live in Japan for the album “Fujitsu-Concord Jazz Festival ’90". In March 1991, he recorded “Nothing Without You”, a duet album with Cleo Laine. That same year, he also published “Traps, The Drum Wonder”, a biography of hisfriend Buddy Rich. ^[6:12]

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Last Years

In 1992, Tormé briefly left Concord to record “Christmas Songs” for Telarc Records, which became his first album to chart on the pop listings that December. That same year, he also recorded a live album, “The Great American Songbook”, in October. The following month, he returned to Concord to record “Sing Sing Sing” with an all-star quintet at the Fujitsu-Concord Jazz Festival in Tokyo. After focusing on live performances for the next two years, he recorded “A Tribute to Bing Crosby” in May 1994. In 1995, he reunited with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass for Velvet & Brass. The following year, he assisted Rhino Records in assembling “The Mel Tormé Collection 1944-1985”, a comprehensive box set. In July 1996, he recorded the live album “An Evening with Mel Tormé” for the A&E network, but just a month later, on August 8, he suffered a stroke. Though he was released from the hospital in November, he never returned to performing. In February 1999, he was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. ^[6:13]

1999: Lifetime Achievement Award

He passed away on June 5, 1999, at the age of 73. ^[6:14]

References