Melvin Howard Tormé
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2
Awards
Mel Tormé, born Melvin Howard Tormé in Chicago in 1925, was a professional singer by age three. He earned the nickname The Velvet Fog for his smooth tenor voice and wrote the holiday standard The Christmas Song with Robert Wells. He won Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist in 1982 and 1983, and appeared as himself on Night Court. He died of a stroke in Los Angeles in 1999.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Mel Tormé — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Mel Tormé by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Mel Tormé — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Mel Tormé entered the world in Chicago, Illinois, in 1925 and was singing professionally by age three. At eight, he played snare drum in the Shakespeare Grammar School drum and bugle corps on Chicago’s south side. He later attended Hyde Park Academy High School and Los Angeles High School. As a teenager, he played drums in Chico Marx’s band, which foreshadowed his career in music.
In the 1940s, Tormé formed the Mel-Tones, one of the first jazz-influenced vocal groups. In 1949, his solo single Careless Hands reached number one. He co-wrote the enduring classic The Christmas Song with Bob Wells, a holiday staple. He won Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist in 1982 and 1983, and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His acting included guest roles on Night Court and Seinfeld, playing himself. He also authored biographies of Judy Garland and Buddy Rich.
Mel Tormé married four times: to Phyllis Arlene Miles, Janette Scott, Ali Severson, and Susan Perry. He had five children: Steve March, Tracy Tormé, James Tormé, Melissa Torme-March, and Daisy Tormé, as well as stepchildren Carrie and Kurt. His home movie collection was destroyed in a fire. He suffered a stroke on August 8, 1996, and died three years later on June 5, 1999.
Mel Tormé’s scat singing and smooth tenor established him as one of the great jazz vocalists. His composition The Christmas Song remains a holiday classic. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1990. His influence appears in later vocalists, and he is often referenced in popular culture, including the TV show Night Court.
The complete filmography of Mel Tormé — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Mel Tormé — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Mel Tormé — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
One of the Joys of a Jazz Singer Is to Try to Keep a Dimension of Constant Improvisation in Relation to What He Sings. but – and It’s a Big but – Only If You Never Lose Sight of the Original Musical Value Which the Composer Put in It. and Above All, If You Don’t Sacrifice the Most Important Element of a Popular Song: the Words.
I Have to Confess That My Way of Singing Is Very Much Affected by My Private Life, or by Anything That Touches Me Personally. I Am a Man, Not a Machine.
Little-known facts about Mel Tormé — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Harry Anderson, who played Judge Harry Stone on Night Court, was a big Tormé fan and frequently referenced him on the show.
Tormé co-wrote the classic holiday song The Christmas Song Chestnuts roasting on an open fire with Robert Wells.
Drafted into the army in 1944, Tormé was discharged in 1945 after being found flat-footed during bivouac.
Although known as The Velvet Fog, Tormé disliked that nickname.
Tormé owned a large collection of 16mm films from Hollywood’s golden age, which he projected at home for family and friends. The entire collection was destroyed in a fire that also destroyed his home.
After serving as music director on Judy Garland’s CBS variety show, Tormé wrote a critical tell-all book, The Other Side of the Rainbow: With Judy Garland on the Dawn Patrol, portraying Garland as drug-addicted and unprofessional.
At eight years old, Tormé played snare drum in the Shakespeare Grammar School drum and bugle corps on Chicago’s south side.
Tormé received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1541 Vine Street.
Tormé won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocalist in both 1982 and 1983.
In 1990, Tormé was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
Tormé had three sons Steve March, Tracy Tormé, James Tormé and two daughters Melissa Torme-March, Daisy Tormé, plus stepchildren Carrie and Kurt.
Tormé suffered a stroke on August 8, 1996.
Tormé was known for his scat singing.
In the 1996 film Greatfellas, Tormé played a parallel-universe version of himself as a country-western singer. His son Tracy co-created the TV series Sliders.
Tormé is buried near Heather O’Rourke and Truman Capote.
Tormé was a major collector of firearms.
Tormé was once the son-in-law of British actress Thora Hird.
Tormé authored a biography of drummer Buddy Rich titled Traps, the Drum Wonder: The Life of Buddy Rich.
Tormé sang the English version of Lili Marlene in the United States.
Tormé is classified as a jazz singer.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Mel Tormé.
Celebrities similar to Mel Tormé — same craft, ranked by reach.
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