Mel Tormé, a jazz-oriented pop singer known as "The Velvet Fog," had a prolific career spanning from the 1940s to the 1990s. Despite his precocity, Tormé faced commercial challenges due to the changing music landscape, but he persevered through lean years until the 1980s when he found renewed success with a sympathetic record company and a resurgence of interest in his music style. Tormé was not only a talented singer but also a drummer, songwriter, arranger, actor, and author, showcasing his diverse range of talents throughout his career.

Raised in a musical family, Tormé displayed his talent at a young age, singing his first complete song at just ten months old. He began performing in vaudeville troupes as a child and won a radio competition at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934. Tormé's career took off in the early 1940s when he joined various bands and eventually launched a solo career, recording hits like "The Christmas Song" and "Careless Hands." Despite facing commercial challenges, Tormé's dedication to his craft solidified his legacy as a major jazz singer of the post-World War II era, earning him critical acclaim and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.