Mel Torme composed the music for "The Christmas Song" and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells.
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35 Facts About Mel Torme
2.
Melvin Howard Torme was born in Chicago, Illinois, to William David Torme, a Polish-Jewish immigrant, and Betty Torme, a New York City native.
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3.
Mel Torme played drums in the drum-and-bugle corps at Shakespeare Elementary School.
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4.
Mel Torme was the singer, drummer, and created some arrangements.
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5.
In 1943, Torme made his movie debut in Frank Sinatra's first film, the musical Higher and Higher.
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6.
Mel Torme was discharged from the United States Army in 1946, and soon returned to a life of radio, television, movies, and music.
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7.
Mel Torme self-deprecatingly referred to it as "this Velvet Frog voice".
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8.
Mel Torme had a radio program, Mel Torme Time, which appeared on the short-lived Progressive Broadcasting System in the 1950s.
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9.
Mel Torme became known for his arranging skills, earning the respect of musicians.
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10.
Mel Torme stood in the middle of her sisters, planted her feet apart, and belted out solos as well as singing the lead parts with zest and confidence.
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11.
In 1960, Mel Torme appeared in the TV crime drama Dan Raven with Don Dubbins.
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12.
Mel Torme had a role in a cross-cultural western entitled Walk Like a Dragon, starring Jack Lord.
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13.
Mel Torme played "The Deacon", a bible-quoting gunfighter who protects a female saloon-owner and teaches a young Chinese man the art of the fast draw.
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14.
Mel Torme wrote the song that gave the episode its title, and performs it with Ball.
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15.
Mel Torme made nine guest appearances as himself on the 1980s situation comedy Night Court.
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16.
Mel Torme appeared in Mountain Dew commercials and in a 1995 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld as himself.
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17.
Mel Torme worked with his other son, television writer-producer Tracy Torme, on Sliders.
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18.
The 1996 episode, entitled "Greatfellas, " featured Mel Torme as a version of himself from a parallel universe in which he is a country music singer who is an FBI informant.
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19.
On December 31,1988, Mel Torme hosted a two-hour variety show titled Happy New Year, USA on PBS television.
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20.
Mel Torme performed as often as 200 times a year in venues all over the world.
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21.
Mel Torme performed with Rob McConnell's big band and recorded Mel Torme, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass.
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22.
For much of the later period of his career, Mel Torme's trio was composed of John Colianni, piano; John Leitham, bass;, and Donny Osborne, drums.
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23.
Mel Torme made a guest vocal appearance on the 1983 album Born to Laugh at Tornadoes by the progressive pop band Was.
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24.
In 1991 Mel Torme published Traps, the Drum Wonder, a biography of drummer Buddy Rich, who was his friend since Rich left the Marines in 1944.
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25.
Mel Torme owned and played a drum set that drummer Gene Krupa used for many years.
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26.
George Spink, treasurer of the Jazz Institute of Chicago from 1978 to 1981, recalled that Mel Torme played this drum set at the 1979 Chicago Jazz Festival with Benny Goodman on "Sing, Sing, Sing".
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27.
Mel Torme's books include The Other Side of the Rainbow, a memoir of his time as musical adviser for Judy Garland's television show; Traps, the Drum Wonder, a biography of Buddy Rich; My Singing Teachers: Reflections on Singing Popular Music ; Wynner a novel; and It Wasn't All Velvet, his autobiography.
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28.
Mel Torme wrote more than 250 songs, several of which became standards.
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29.
Mel Torme often wrote the arrangements for the songs he sang.
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30.
Mel Torme collaborated with Bob Wells on his most popular composition, "The Christmas Song" ; they wrote the song on a swelteringly hot and sunny day in California, sitting down and coming up with all the most 'mid-wintery' things they could think of, in an attempt to cool themselves down; it was recorded first by Nat King Cole.
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31.
Mel Torme said that he wrote the music in 45 minutes and that it was not one of his favorites, calling it "my annuity".
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33.
Mel Torme died from another stroke on June 5,1999, at the age of 73.
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34.
Mel Torme is buried at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
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