It Wasn't All Velvet: An Autobiography

by Melvin Howard Tormé, Melvin Howard Tormé

The acclaimed veteran singer and songwriter recalls the highs and lows of his illustrious career and the more memorable events and relationships of his personal life

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

463 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 10, 1988

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the truism that a man can have a good job, a good family and a good car, but he can't have all three. That pretty much sums up Mel Torme, one of the first jazz vocalists I grasped in the 80s. One day back then I saw that he was going to be signing his autobiography at the Kroch's and Brentano's downtown on Wabash. I waited patiently in line and bought his book, said something nice to Mel. He smiled and signed my book and handed it up to me from where he was sitting at a table in the center of the store, towards the back. The book even came with an It Wasn't All Velvet bookmark. I have no idea why, but I've lugged that book around from apartment to apartment to house to house ever since and, finally, read the thing. I had no idea what a precocious genius of an entertainer Mel was. He was a Chicago child star on radio and early television, continued to sing, compose, act his entire life. He tells some good stories. He dated Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe, hung with some of the big names, heckled by a drunk John Wayne as he sang. What an honor. It's a little schmaltzy and polite, much as I imagine Mel Torme was. Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra have more fame now, but Torme was right up there with him and was talented in so many ways. He had great cars. A great job. But, as the book tells in painful detail, couldn't get the wife thing right, until the end, apparently. Not sure if it's hard to see how someone so accomplished could be so clueless when it came to love. Maybe that truism is more true than even I think.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't judge me for reading this. I've always thought Torme had a very nice voice, but I wasn't exactly a fan of his. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with this book. It was much more interesting and well-written than I'd expected it would be. I had no idea he'd started in this business as such a young child, or that his parents were so much a part of his life, or that he'd become a pilot and written a novel. He was far more talented and intelligent than I'd realized. He was awfully quick to jump into matrimony, however. :)

[Calvin]

Yeah I read Mel Torme's autobiography, what of it.?

[Phil Atteberry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mel Torme was an intelligent, articulate guy. I love his jazz singing. But this autobiography is a disappointment. Admittedly, there are lots of interesting tid bits sprinkled about. The book's problem is lack of balance. There is too much detail about things I don't care about (like his marriages and divorces) and not enough detail about things I do care about (like his best recordings).

Artistically, Mel's first great recordings were with the short-lived Bethlehem records in the 1950's when he teamed up with pianist and arranger Marty Paich and his "dec-tette." The book contains only a few observations here and there about that.

In 1960 or so, Mel made a couple of high quality albums for Verve Records, then he left the label. I wonder why. Verve seems to have been the perfect label for him at that time. He includes one line saying Norman Granz (head of Verve records) was not what he thought. Huh? Many jazz artists flourished at Verve. What was the problem? I would be interested in that.

Late in his career, Mel reached his artistic Zenith at Concord Records. recording many splendid jazz albums, often with George Shearing. Mel refers to all that here and there, but does not discuss that musical period thoroughly.

Conversely, the book contains a lot of anecdotes about famous people--his early flings with Ava Gardner, and, to a lesser extent, Marilyn Monroe. Various pranks Buddy Rich played on him, etc. And several chapters at the end are devoted to his divorce from his third wife and the drawn out, emotionally draining custody battle. It's pages and pages of "woe is me." I have sympathy for people who endure unhappy episodes like that. But in a Mel Torme autobiography, I want to read about his musical thoughts and achievements--and to some extent his writing.

I will say that I enjoyed the first third of book more than the last two thirds. Mel was a child actor in radio, sold his first song to Harry James when he was in high school, and went on the road with the Chico Marx band (under the supervision of Ben Pollack) when he was 17. I knew of all that, but I didn't know the details. I was glad to get a fuller explanation.

[John Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent memoir from one of the finest-ever jazzy pop singers. Perhaps a little heavy on the dewy upside of showbusiness, maybe Mel's just an optimist. And the writing (which I believe involved little if any ghostly intervention).... It's just not fair that one man can sing brilliantly, play drums professionally, write hit songs, screw Ava Gardner and write absorbing prose!

[Debra Pawlak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mel Torme was a man of many talents. In addition to singing, he played drums, wrote and arranged music, and authored several books. His autobiography was one of them. Torme grew up in Chicago, where he got his first paying gig as a singer at the tender age of four and he never looked back. Well written in a witty conversational tone, it's as if Torme is sitting there with you and telling his story. He holds no punches about the famous people he knew and worked with (i.e., Judy Garland, Chico Marx, Duke Ellington, etc.). His personal life was just as colorful with three failed marriages that gave him five children and finally a fourth union that seemed to make him happy. You couldn't help but root for him. Overall, getting to know Mel Torme was an enjoyable experience. I am glad I took the time to read this book. By the way--he hated the 'velvet fog' moniker because, well, it just wasn't all velvet!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

After seeing a jazz show last December where the lead told a story about The Christmas Song referenced in Mel Torme’s autobiography, I picked up a used copy and read it. He had an interesting life, and the book provides some insight into the mid-century history of Hollywood and the jazz/crooner scene. He has some quirky episodes to share, and many tales of bad romances. It’s worth a read if you like his music or are interested in the history of music, television, and cinema.

[Noel Landry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subtitled ‘people who slighted me, select starlets I slept with and my favourite divorces’ Mel’s Other Side of the Rainbow is a great book. This isn’t.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly frank, interesting, entertaining - one of the finest music bios I've read.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed, honest, funny, touching, poignant autobiography of the classy and multi-talented Mel Torme. Quite a life. A good read, even if you are not familiar with his work.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

typical hollywood autobiography. torme had lots of adventures, met lots of people slept w/some of them and had an interesting life. not my kind of book.

[Joe Spoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book while on a field trip to the library with my son's scout group. I have always liked Mel Torme so I picked it up. It was well written and gave an insight to his lie and career.