Mel
Carter
Mel
Carter, the man responsible for giving the song "Hold Me,
Thrill Me, Kiss Me," a place in pop history, began his career
in Cincinnati at the age of four when his grandmother held him
up to the microphone in a penny arcade recording booth. As it
turned out, it was 25 cents well-spent; the unpolished performance
had an unmistakable element of raw talent etched into those crude
grooves. From that point on, music proved to be Mel's destiny,
as his career produced one hit single after another. Even to this
day, Mel's version of "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me"
has lost only 2% of it's playing ability since it's release 30
years ago and you can still hear this timeless classic played
on the radio at least once a day somewhere around the world.
The now legendary Quincy
Jones first discovered Mel and signed him to record his debut
pop session on Mercury Records, which expertly showcased Mel's
passionate vocals and immediately began turning heads in the recording
industry. But it was not until Sam Cooke signed Mel to Derby Records
that he had his first hit single, "When A Boy Falls In Love,"
which climbed the charts in England as well as in the United States
and reached the number one position on the West Coast. A string
of other hit songs including of course, "Hold Me, Thrill
Me, Kiss Me" soon followed, which led to an offer to tour
with the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars. Mel shared the bill with
other up and coming performers of the day, including Sonny and
Cher, Tom Jones and other popular English and American recording
artists.
As further proof of his immense versatility, Mel also enjoyed
success as a stage performer. A highlight in his career was playing
Sportin' Life in a concert of "Porgy and Bess" accompanied
by the late perfectionist (and seven-time Academy Award winner)
John Green, who conducted the San Diego Symphony Orchestra with
an 80-voice choir. Mel received four standing ovations for his
performance.
Continually expanding his horizons, Mel co-produced his 1985 album,
"Willing," which won him a Grammy nomination for "Best
Male Gospel Performance. That same year brought him brilliant
reviews and awards including "L.A. Weekly's" La Wee
and an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Performance in a
Musical as a result of his starring role in "Glitter Palace."
Mel continued to nourish his love for appearing before a live
audience, starting the 90's off with a series of successful tours.
Standing room only engagements at Trump Castle, London's Royal
Albert Hall, Taj Mahal and Merv Griffin's Resort Casino Hotel
in Atlantic City as well as a tour-de-force performance in "Fly
Blackbird Revisited" proved that Mel's appeal was both timeless
and universal. In addition to his singing career, Mel Carter is
also known and respected as an accomplished actor, with a long
list of film and television credits.
Mel Carter has established himself as a modern day renaissance
man who has proven that real and genuine talent will always find
an audience, regardless of the current trends, radio formats or
fashions. Throughout the course of his career, Mel has re-defined
the term "multi talented" and truly established himself
as a legend in pop music.
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