With an ultrasmooth vocal style that earned him the nickname of "The Velvet Fog," Mel Tormé was one of the greatest American voices of the 20th century. According to The Independent, "As a singer, his name ranks in the top echelon along with Crosby and Sinatra, but he excelled them when it came to jazz stylings."

Born in Chicago in 1925, Tormé began performing in public as a kid, and it wasn't long before his talent brought him to Hollywood. In 1955, after a successful run of pop records for Capitol, Tormé signed to a new label, Bethlehem, that gave him complete artistic control, which he used to pursue a more jazz-oriented direction. Torme was also an accomplished songwriting, penning over 300 tunes including the holiday classic, "The Christmas Song."