ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Mel Torme (3 songs)

This musician, nicknamed “The Velvet Fog”, is best known for his jazz standards. He also composed, arranged, acted & authored 5 books. Perhaps most memorable is the composing he did for the classic holiday hit “The Christmas Song”, for which he co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells.

#1
This was his 1st solo single. Released in 1947, it peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Prior releases included 1945’s “I Fall In Love Too Easily” (with Eugene Baird) & 1946’s “Day By Day” (with Bing Crosby).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gbmxfn3jGA

#2
After no releases in 1948, he released his version of this song (1st recorded in 1948 by Sammy Kaye with Don Cornell vocals; written by Carl Sigman & Bob Hilliard) in 1949; it claimed #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Many other artists have recorded it, including Bing Crosby, Dottie West & Jerry Lee Lewis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wstafMGLnzg

#3
This song 1st appeared in the 1948 movie ‘Road House’, sung by Ida Lupino; an instrumental version appeared in the 1953 movie ‘Pickup On South Street’. Torme’s version peaked in 1949 at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This single’s flip side, “Blue Moon”, notched at #20. Later familiar tunes include 1949’s “The 4 Winds & The 7 Seas” & 1950’s “Bewitched”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRM5wjih4lg