James Melton (January 2, 1904 – April 21, 1961), was a tenor whose voice was known to millions of radio, television, opera and concert fans. Popular in the 1920s and early 1930s, later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out of style in popular music around 1932–35.
Melton usually catered to popular music fans, singing romantic songs and popular ballads in a sweet style. He was born in Moultrie, Georgia but was raised in Citra, Florida, where his parents grew melons and handled hogs. Melton's father ran a sawmill in the time of history when sawmills were temporary tent buildings built near available lumber trees.
In 1920, he graduated from high school in Ocala, Florida and then attended college at the University of Florida, Vanderbilt University and the University of Georgia. He received vocal instruction from Gaetano de Luca in Nashville from 1923 to 1927 before moving to New York where he studied with Beniamino Gigli's teacher, Enrico Rosati. Melton also worked in dance bands, playing saxophone in a college jazz ensemble and performing with Francis Craig's Orchestra in Atlanta in 1926.
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| The Revelers |
The following year, he began singing on New York radio for no pay. He joined "Roxy's Gang", a cabaret group led by Samuel Roxy Rothafel, who worked with the Sieberling Singers. He made records for Victor Records, singing as one of the tenors with The Revelers and for Columbia Records with the same group under the pseudonym of The Singing Sophomores. He frequently sang with popular singer Jane Froman and appeared with her in film as well.
After voice training with Angelo Canarutto, Melton's operatic singing career took off in 1938 when he appeared with the Cincinnati Zoo Opera Company as Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and also with the St. Louis Opera Company as Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata. He was in demand from many other Opera Companies and on 7 December 1942, Melton debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute. He continued to perform at the Met through 1950.
Melton continued to perform on the radio. He was heard on The Firestone Hour in 1933, on Ward's Family Theater in 1935, The Sealtest Sunday Night Party (1936), The Palmolive Beauty Box Theater (1937), The Song Shop (1938), the Bell Telephone Hour (1940), Texaco Star Theater (1944) and Harvest of Stars (1945). In 1941, a newspaper columnist described Melton as "currently one of radio's busiest singers." In the thirties, Melton also sang and acted on the Jack Benny Radio Shows.
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| Melton & Kathryn Grayson 1944 |
Although he was not known as a dramatic actor, he appeared in movie musicals, including Stars Over Broadway (1935), Sing Me a Love Song (1936), Melody for Two (1937) and the MGM revue, Ziegfeld Follies (1946). An avid racing and automobile fan, Melton was in attendance for the Watkins Glen Grand Prix of 1951 in upstate New York. He spent the 1950s making records, singing in nightclubs, appearing on television, including Ford Festival (1951–1952) also known as The James Melton Show, and collecting rare automobiles. His last stage production was Sigmund Romberg's The Student Prince.
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| James & Marjorie Melton |
In 1948, he established the Melton Museum in Norwalk, Connecticut to showcase his growing collection of over 125 antique cars. In April 1953, the collection was moved to Hypoluxo, Florida and renamed the James Melton Autorama, with greatly expanded and developed displays. Ken Purdy interviewed him on his collection and wrote a book about it. The museum's collection was dispersed after his death. Melton has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one is for radio and the other for recordings of his.
He died April 21, 1961, after checking into New York's Roosevelt Hospital with bronchial pneumonia, which developed into lobar pneumonia. He was 57. (Edited from Wikipedia)