Mitchell Torok: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
m fix |
||
| (141 intermediate revisions by 63 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|American country singer-songwriter (1929–2017)}} |
|||
'''Mitchell Torok''' (born October 28, 1929) is an [[United States|American]] [[country music]] [[singing|singer]], [[songwriter]], artist author and [[guitarist]], best known for his 1953 [[hit record|hit]], "Caribbean". Torok also charted in 1957 with the song "Pledge Of Love" which reached No. 26 on The Billboard Hot 100. He scored again in 1959 with an updated version of "Caribbean" (#27 On Billboard). In 1960 his recording of "Pink Chiffon" topped out at No. 60 on Billboard. Torok wrote all three of his chart hits himself. |
|||
{{Infobox musical artist |
|||
| name = Mitchell Torok |
|||
| image = |
|||
| image_size = |
|||
| landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank --> |
|||
| alt = |
|||
| caption = |
|||
| background = solo_singer |
|||
| birth_name = Mitchell Joseph Torok |
|||
| native_name = |
|||
| native_name_lang = |
|||
| alias = |
|||
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|10|28}} |
|||
| birth_place = [[Houston, Texas]], U.S. |
|||
| origin = |
|||
| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|11|16|1929|10|28}} |
|||
| death_place = [[Alvin, Texas]], U.S. |
|||
| genre = [[Country music|Country]] |
|||
| occupation = Singer, songwriter |
|||
| instrument = |
|||
| years_active = <!-- YYYY–YYYY (or YYYY–present) --> |
|||
| label = |
|||
| associated_acts = |
|||
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> |
|||
}} |
|||
'''Mitchell Joseph Torok''' (October 28, 1929 – November 16, 2017) was an American [[country music]] singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and author, best known for his 1953 hit record "Caribbean".<ref name="Larkin50">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2002|edition=Third|isbn=1-85227-937-0|page=447/8}}</ref> He also wrote "[[Mexican Joe (song)|Mexican Joe]]", which catapulted [[Jim Reeves]] to stardom. They began to write together and charted with many top 20 hits. |
|||
==Biography== |
|||
Torok was born in [[Houston]], [[Texas]] to Hungarian immigrants Niklos and Irene Torok, with an older brother named William. He was playing guitar by the age of 12, and attended [[Stephen F. Austin State University]] in [[Nacogdoches, Texas]] from 1948 through 1953, on a football and baseball scholarship. He minored in world history and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in art and journalism. Torok played baseball with a team from Garrison, Texas (the Bulldogs) while in college. and also pitched for the Minden Redbirds in Minden, Louisiana during the summer of 1950. During this period, known for his guitar playing and singing in Houston, he was also hired to write a special song for the Conoco Oil Company in Houston,Texas. It was titled "Continental Roll Along" and was used as a promotional recording given to company employees to celebrate the company's 100th Birthday. |
|||
Torok reached the Billboard charts several times: in 1957 with "Pledge of Love" (Billboard Top 20), written by his wife, Gail Redd; in 1959 with an updated version of "Caribbean" (No. 27 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''); with "Redneck Nat' Anthem" by [[Vernon Oxford]] in 1976; with [[Jerry Wallace]] and their song "This One's on the House" (Top 20); and with [[Bill Phillips (singer)|Bill Phillips]]'s "I Can Stand It (As Long as She Can)". In 1960, Torok's recording of "Pink Chiffon" topped out at No. 60 on ''Billboard''. His last hit record was "Instant Love" in 1965, produced by Jimmie Bowen. |
|||
He also recorded his first session in Houston with a duet partner named Sally Lee, which masters later wound up on Imperial Records. Torok enrolled in Stephen F. Austin College in Nacogdoches Texas in 1948, on a baseball and football scholarship. During the next two years he performed n his own morning radio show on KSFA and KFRD, in Rosenberg. |
|||
Impressed by the rolling East Texas hills, Mitch recorded two singles for the FBC label out of Rosenberg, the Nacogdoches County Line, and the Piney Woods Boogie. |
|||
==Early life and education== |
|||
One of Torok's legendary idols the great Hank Williams died suddenly on January 1, 1953. Torok, prior to graduating in May, was immediately struck by the pall of sadness that enveloped the country music industry and it's many fans. Inspired by a need for some happy songs, Torok immediately penned a happy-go-lucky song titled "Mexican Joe," which he wrote in thirty minutes on a cold January night initially intending the song for another one of his idols, the legendary Hank Snow. But a new record producer and label owner from Hollyiwood, Fabor Robison, happened by Nacogdoches, Texas, the home of Stephen F. Austin, Torok's alma mater, and found Torok and the song. Torok, though wanting some of Robison's supposed heavy West Coast artist to record his song, reluctantly gave it to Robison and his Abbott record label,to record with one of his own struggling artists, the then unknown Jim Reeves, in Shreveport. |
|||
Mitchell Joseph Torok was born in [[Houston, Texas]] on October 28, 1929,<ref name="Larkin50"/> to [[Hungarians in the United States|Hungarian immigrants]]. He was named Mitchell after the doctor who delivered him.<ref name=escott>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKsSBREliAgC&pg=PA97| title=Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music|first= Colin |last=Escott |date= 2002 |pages=95–99|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780415937832 }}</ref> He was playing guitar by the age of 12,<ref name="Larkin50"/> but unlike most country singers of his era he did not grow up with country music at a young age.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=bbT2X4Rof9MC&dq=mitchell+torok+hungarian+irene&pg=PA97 Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music (2002), pg. 97]</ref> |
|||
( Torok, feeling the chances of Reeves' record hitting were small ornon existent, shrewdly planned to use the Jim Reeves record as a 'demo' to send to Hank Snow!)Jim had been hired to be an announcer on KWKH and the Hayride Show, but not allowed to sing! Torok's song was titled "Mexican Joe." And, when Jim was finally offered a chance to sing one number, it became a huge number one hit, and spent seven weeks riding the top of the Billboard Country Music Charts.And Jim Reeves was headed for world-wide stardom! Torok was then signed to Abbott Records and a month later wrote, his own number one hit that became popular in both the Billboard country and jukebox charts, and remained at the top for four weeks. The song was called "Caribbean". It remained on the country chart for 24 weeks, and was also a top five hit on both the Best Sellers and Disc Jockey . |
|||
Torok attended [[Stephen F. Austin State University]] in [[Nacogdoches, Texas]] from 1948 to 1953, on a football and baseball scholarship. Torok majored in art and minored in world history, and played baseball in [[Garrison, Texas]] whilst studying.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Seo-lCjT-fgC&dq=mitchell+torok+hungarian+irene&pg=PT179 I Forgot To Remember To Forget (2012), chapter 59]</ref> |
|||
Torok became a member of ''[[Louisiana Hayride]]'' on KWKH-AM Shreveport. In 1954, his song "My Arabian Baby" appeared as the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] of [[Hank Snow]]'s hit "I Don't Hurt Anymore". He gained a No.8 country hit with "Hootchy Kootchy Henry (From Hawaii)." And in 1956, after joining Decca Records in Nashville, he had Top Ten success on the [[UK Singles Chart]] with his songs "When Mexico Gave Up The Rhumba" and "Red Light, Green Light".<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book |
|||
| first= David |
|||
| last= Roberts |
|||
| year= 2006 |
|||
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums |
|||
| edition= 19th |
|||
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited |
|||
| location= London |
|||
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5 |
|||
| page= 562}}</ref> This success led to a four month tour of the British Isles, [[United Kingdom|UK]] in 1956, headlining in all the old famaous vaudeville houses in England, Ireland and Scotland, including the London Palladium. His shows included famous English comedian Dickie Henderson and the famous "Goldfinger" singer, Shirley Bassey. And it marked the first and only time Mitchell has performed with a full pit orchestra with written arrangements on all the songs, led by Torok's own conductor Maurice " Tex" Bromley, at the onstage piano with him. In the next few years, Torok made further recordings for [[Mercury Records|Mercury]], [[RCA Records|RCA]], and [[Starday Records|Starday]], and his last [[United States|US]] chart entry was "Instant Love" for the [[Reprise Records|Reprise]] [[record label|label]] in 1967. |
|||
==Early career and chart success== |
|||
Prio to that, he had two other hits on the [[Billboard Hot 100]]; "Pledge of Love" hit No. 25 in 1957, and "Caribbean" hit again in 1959, peaking at No. 27.<ref>[[Joel Whitburn]], ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits''. 7th edn, 2000</ref> In 1960, "Pink Chiffon,"also on Decca, peaked at No. 60.<ref>[{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p193403/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} Chart Positions], [[Allmusic]]</ref> and in 1996 this song was used as main title music in [[RKO Pictures]] movie [[Laura Smiles]] (2006). |
|||
Torok recorded his first session in Houston with a duet partner named Sally Lee. These masters later wound up on Imperial Records. During the next two years, he performed his own morning radio show on KSFA and KFRD, in Rosenberg and KTRE in Lufkin. The owner of KFRD heard him and suggested that he record some songs. He recorded "Nacogdoches County Line" with the FBC label for his first single.<ref name=escott /> He also recorded "Piney Woods Boogie". |
|||
One of Torok's idols, [[Hank Williams]], died suddenly on January 1, 1953.<ref name=AlvinSun>{{cite web |title=At 84, Mitchell Torok moves to Alvin after life writing hit songs, painting mural of Elvis in Vegas and writing books|url=http://www.alvinsun.net/news/article_cbc57252-cc1b-11e3-97f5-0019bb2963f4.html |access-date=4 October 2021}}</ref> Inspired by a need for some happy songs, he immediately penned a happy-go-lucky song titled "Mexican Joe," which he wrote in thirty minutes based on "[[Polly Wolly Doodle]]", initially intending the song for another one of his idols, [[Hank Snow]].<ref name="Larkin50"/> |
|||
Torok continued to write songs, working in partnership with his wife (who has used both Gayle Jones and Ramona Redd as pseudonyms, the latter being her maiden namea), and had recordings by artists including [[Skeeter Davis]], [[Kitty Wells]],Hank Snow and Willie Nelson, Jerry Wallace,Billy Walker, Barbara Eden, [[Glen Campbell]], [[Dean Martin]] and Clint Eastwood, who sang Torok's song, "No Sweeter Cheater than You" in the Warner Brothers HONKY TONK MAN movie. He also wrote the title song "Look Out, Ol' Norwood's Comin' Home!" for Glen Campbell's Paramount movie, NORWOOD, plus five other songs in different Campbell albms, including "Arkansas, a tribute to Geln's home state..\. .<ref name="Mitchell Torok">{{cite web | url = http://www.nme.com/artists/mitchell-torok| title = Mitchell Torok | publisher = Muze UK, Ltd. | author = | date = | accessdate = 2009-06-28}}</ref> Hank Snow recorded Torok songs "Caribbean", "Dogbone", "My Arabian Baby" and "The Mysterious Lady From St. Martinique" on one of his last RCA albums. "The Redneck National Anthem " was a top 20 hit for [[Vernon Oxford]] in 1976.<ref name="Mitchell Torok"/> |
|||
But a new record producer and label owner from Hollywood, Fabor Robison, happened by Nacogdoches and found Torok and the song. Torok wanted one of Robison's supposed heavy West Coast artist to record his song. He reluctantly gave it to him and his Abbott record label, to be recorded by one of his own struggling artists, the then unknown Jim Reeves, in Shreveport. (Torok, feeling the chances of Reeves' record hitting were small or nonexistent, planned to use the Jim Reeves record as a "demo" to send to Hank Snow.) Reeves had been hired to be an announcer on KWKH and the ''Hayride Show'', but not allowed to sing. Torok's song, "Mexican Joe", was recorded by Reeves and it became a number one hit, and spent seven weeks riding the top of the ''Billboard'' Country Music Charts. Torok was then signed to Abbott Records.<ref name="Larkin50"/> |
|||
Mitchell was commissioned to paint a huge, 110 foot, five panel mural titled "The History of the Grand Ol' Opry" which was on display in the famous old Ryman Auditorium until it was remodeled for live performances. The mural served as a fund raiser for Hank Snow's Abused Children's Foundation while there,as tourists made donations after viewing the mural. He then created the famous "ELVIS-A-RAMA," which consisted of a 12-ft. high, 125 ft. long mural with a 22-minute light and music show depicting his life, from his truck driving days in Memphis to his untimely death in 1977. It has been shown in Nashville, Branson and recently in Las Vegas, and signed by over 50,000 Elvis fans. |
|||
A month later he wrote "Caribbean", which he recorded. The song became popular in both the ''Billboard'' Country and Jukebox charts, and remained at the top for four weeks. It stayed on the country chart for 24 weeks, also a top five hit on both the Best Sellers and Disc Jockey charts,<ref name="Larkin50"/> as well as being a No. 13 hit in Australia. |
|||
Mitchell and his writing-partner-wife Ramona also created a tribute to Nashville's "200th Birthday" while writing for Cedarwood Music, with a 12-song lp recording titled simply "Nashville", filled with songs based on Music City's colorful history. And they also wrote, produced and performed on a Texas History album, titled "The Ballads of Texas".{{citation needed|date=November 2012}} Torok has also written a book and accompanying CD, titled "Jim Reeves, Me & Mexican Joe" which tells the unbelievable story of how the song made its way to Jim, and how it blasted his career into country music Glory. |
|||
Torok became a member of ''[[Louisiana Hayride]]'' on KWKH-AM in Shreveport.<ref name="Larkin50"/> In 1954, his song "My Arabian Baby" appeared as the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] of Snow's hit "I Don't Hurt Anymore". Torok gained a No. 8 country hit with "Hootchy Kootchy Henry (From Hawaii)"<ref name="Larkin50"/> and in 1956, after joining Decca Records in Nashville, he had top ten success on the [[UK Singles Chart]] with his and Gail's song, "When Mexico Gave Up The Rhumba" and "Red Light, Green Light".<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book| first= David| last= Roberts| year= 2006| title= British Hit Singles & Albums| edition= 19th| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited| location= London| isbn= 1-904994-10-5| page= 562}}</ref> |
|||
Torok is currently semi-retired from his very, varied, long and successful creative career, but is still very active and has new songs and recordings up on utube, "just for the fun of it!" he says. |
|||
This success led to a four-month tour of the [[United Kingdom]] in 1957,<ref name="Larkin50"/> headlining at the [[London Palladium]]. His shows included English comedian [[Dickie Henderson]] and [[Shirley Bassey]]. It marked the only time Torok has performed with a full pit orchestra with written arrangements on all the songs, led by Torok's own conductor, Maurice " Tex" Bromley, at the on-stage piano with him.<ref name="Larkin50"/> |
|||
Torok also had another hits on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in 1957 – "Pledge of Love" hit No. 25 in 1957.<ref name="hot100">[[Joel Whitburn]], ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits''. 7th edition, 2000; {{isbn|978-0823076901}}</ref> "Pledge of Love" however was a bigger hit for [[Kenneth Copeland]], who recorded over Torok's backing track. Unexpectedly, his previous country song "Caribbean" was re-released in 1959 after Robison sold the master to Guyden Records,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKsSBREliAgC&pg=PA101| title=Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music|first= Colin |last=Escott |date= 2002 |pages=100–101|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780415937832 }}</ref> and the song peaked at No. 27 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref name="hot100"/> In 1960, "Pink Chiffon", also on Jamie/Guyden peaked at No. 60 and, in 1996, this song was used as main title music in [[RKO Pictures]] film ''Laura Smiles'' (2006). Torok also made further recordings for [[Mercury Records|Mercury]], and [[RCA Records|RCA]]. His last US chart entry was "Instant Love" for the [[Reprise Records|Reprise]] record label in 1967.<ref name="Larkin50"/> |
|||
==Later career in music and art== |
|||
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2022}} |
|||
Torok continued to write songs, working in partnership with his wife (who has used both "Gayle Jones" and "Ramona Redd" as pseudonyms, the latter being her maiden name).<ref name="Larkin50"/> Their songs were recorded by artists including: [[Skeeter Davis]], [[Kitty Wells]], Hank Snow and Willie Nelson, Jerry Wallace, Billy Walker, Barbara Eden, [[Glen Campbell]], [[Dean Martin]].<ref name="Larkin50"/> [[Clint Eastwood]] sang their song, "No Sweeter Cheater than You" in the Warner Brothers ''Honky Tonk Man'' movie. They also wrote the title song "Look Out, Ol' Norwood's Comin' Home!" for Glen Campbell's Paramount movie ''Norwood'', and five other songs on different Campbell albums, including "Arkansas, a tribute to Glen's home state. Hank Snow recorded Torok's songs: "Caribbean", "Dogbone", "My Arabian Baby" and "The Mysterious Lady From St. Martinique" on one of his last RCA albums.<ref name="Larkin50"/> "The Redneck National Anthem" was a top 20 hit for [[Vernon Oxford]] in 1976. |
|||
Combining his art and music, Torok was commissioned to paint a 110-foot, five-panel mural titled "The History of the Grand Ol' Opry", which was on display in the [[Ryman Auditorium]] until it was remodeled for live performances. The mural served as a fund raiser for Hank Snow's Abused Children's Foundation while there, as tourists made donations after viewing the mural. He then created the "Elvis-a-Rama", which consisted of a 12-foot-high, 125-foot-long mural with a 22-minute light and music show depicting his life, from his truck driving days in Memphis to his death in 1977. It has been shown in Nashville, in Branson, and recently in Las Vegas, and has been signed by over 50,000 Elvis fans. |
|||
Mitchell and his writing-partner, wife Gail also created a tribute to Nashville's 200th birthday while writing for Cedarwood Music, with a 12-song LP recording titled ''Nashville'', filled with songs based on Music City's history.<ref name="Larkin50"/> They also wrote, produced and performed on a Texas history album, titled ''The Ballads of Texas''.<ref>[https://newspaperarchive.com/big-spring-herald-sep-24-1972-p-76/ Big Spring Herald, 24 September 1972, pg. 76]</ref> Torok also wrote a book and accompanying CD, titled ''Jim Reeves, Me & Mexican Joe'', which tells the story of how the song made its way to Reeves. Torok also created smaller artistic tributes to Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, Dolly Parton, Big John Merritt and other smaller creations. |
|||
== Personal life and death == |
|||
Torok married Gail Redd, a beauty queen, from [[Lufkin, Texas]], in 1951.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/6257337/?terms=%22Gail%20Redd%22%20torok&match=1 The Baytown Sun, 11 Sep 1952, pg. 26]</ref> She died on August 3, 1985, at the age of 52.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86483356/ The Tennessean, 7 August 1985, pg. 19]</ref> |
|||
In April 2014, it was reported that Torok had moved to [[Alvin, Texas]] at the age of 84, to live with his daughter.<ref name=AlvinSun/> He died in Alvin on November 16, 2017, at the age of 88.<ref name=allmusic>[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mitchell-torok-mn0000576795/biography Biography, ''AllMusic'']. Retrieved July 28, 2023</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mitchell Torok |url=http://www.hillbilly-music.com/artists/story/index.php?id=11114 |website=Hillbilly Music |access-date=3 February 2023}}</ref> |
|||
==Discography== |
==Discography== |
||
*''Caribbean'' |
* ''Caribbean'' – 1960 (Guyden) |
||
*''Guitar Course (Instant Fun)'' |
* ''Guitar Course (Instant Fun)'' – 1966 (Reprise) |
||
== |
=== Singles === |
||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
|||
{{reflist}} |
|||
|- |
|||
! rowspan="2"| Year |
|||
! rowspan="2"| Title |
|||
! colspan="3"| Chart positions |
|||
|-style="font-size:smaller;" |
|||
! width="45"|[[Billboard Hot 100|US]]<br/><ref name="us charts">{{cite web |url=https://www.musicvf.com/Mitchell+Torok.art|title=Mitchell Torok |work=Music VF.com }}</ref> |
|||
! width="45"|[[Hot Country Songs|US Country]]<br/><ref name="us charts"/> |
|||
! width="45"|[[The Official Charts Company|UK]]<br/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/3947/mitchell-torok/|title=Mitchell Torok |work=The Official Charts Company }}</ref> |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1953 |
|||
| align="left"|"Caribbean" |
|||
| — |
|||
| 1 |
|||
| — |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1954 |
|||
| align="left"|"Hootchey Kootchey Henry (From Hawaii)" |
|||
| — |
|||
| 9 |
|||
| — |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1956 |
|||
| align="left"| "When Mexico Gave Up the Rhumba" |
|||
| — |
|||
| — |
|||
| 6 |
|||
|- |
|||
| rowspan="3"| 1957 |
|||
| align="left"|"Red Light Green Light" |
|||
| — |
|||
| — |
|||
| 29 |
|||
|- |
|||
| align="left"| "When Mexico Gave Up the Rhumba" |
|||
| — |
|||
| — |
|||
| 30 |
|||
|- |
|||
| align="left"| "Pledge of Love" |
|||
| 26 |
|||
| — |
|||
| — |
|||
|- |
|||
| rowspan="2"| 1959 |
|||
| align="left"|"Caribbean"<sup>A</sup> |
|||
| 27 |
|||
| — |
|||
| — |
|||
|- |
|||
| align="left"| "[[Mexican Joe (song)|Mexican Joe]]" |
|||
| 102 |
|||
| — |
|||
| — |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1960 |
|||
| align="left"| "Pink Chiffon" |
|||
| 60 |
|||
| — |
|||
| — |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1967 |
|||
| align="left"| "Instant Love" |
|||
| — |
|||
| 73 |
|||
| — |
|||
|} |
|||
* <sup>A</sup>"Caribbean" also peaked at No. 26 on R&B Chart. |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{Reflist}} |
|||
*{{cite web | url = http://www.nme.com/artists/mitchell-torok| title = Mitchell Torok | publisher = Muze UK, Ltd. | author = | date = | accessdate = 2009-06-28}} |
|||
*[[Joel Whitburn]], ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits''. 7th ed., 2000 |
|||
==External links== |
|||
{{Authority control|VIAF=79664742}} |
|||
* {{Discogs artist|Mitchell Torok}} |
|||
* {{IMDb name|id=0868237}} |
|||
* {{Discogs artist|Ramona Redd}} Entry for Gail/Ramona Redd |
|||
{{Authority control}} |
|||
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> |
|||
| NAME = Torok, Mitchell |
|||
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = |
|||
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American singer songwriter |
|||
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1929-10-28 |
|||
| PLACE OF BIRTH =Houston, Texas |
|||
| DATE OF DEATH = |
|||
| PLACE OF DEATH = |
|||
}} |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torok, Mitchell}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torok, Mitchell}} |
||
[[Category:1929 births]] |
[[Category:1929 births]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:2017 deaths]] |
||
[[Category:Musicians from Texas]] |
|||
[[Category:American country singers]] |
|||
[[Category:American male singers]] |
|||
[[Category:Abbott Records artists]] |
[[Category:Abbott Records artists]] |
||
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]] |
|||
[[Category:Country musicians from Texas]] |
|||
[[Category:Jamie Records artists]] |
[[Category:Jamie Records artists]] |
||
[[Category:RCA Victor artists]] |
[[Category:RCA Victor artists]] |
||
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Texas]] |
|||
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]] |
|||
[[Category:American people of Hungarian descent]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 10:58, 31 October 2023
Mitchell Torok | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mitchell Joseph Torok |
| Born | October 28, 1929 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 16, 2017 (aged 88) Alvin, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Mitchell Joseph Torok (October 28, 1929 – November 16, 2017) was an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and author, best known for his 1953 hit record "Caribbean".[1] He also wrote "Mexican Joe", which catapulted Jim Reeves to stardom. They began to write together and charted with many top 20 hits.
Torok reached the Billboard charts several times: in 1957 with "Pledge of Love" (Billboard Top 20), written by his wife, Gail Redd; in 1959 with an updated version of "Caribbean" (No. 27 on Billboard); with "Redneck Nat' Anthem" by Vernon Oxford in 1976; with Jerry Wallace and their song "This One's on the House" (Top 20); and with Bill Phillips's "I Can Stand It (As Long as She Can)". In 1960, Torok's recording of "Pink Chiffon" topped out at No. 60 on Billboard. His last hit record was "Instant Love" in 1965, produced by Jimmie Bowen.
Early life and education
[edit]Mitchell Joseph Torok was born in Houston, Texas on October 28, 1929,[1] to Hungarian immigrants. He was named Mitchell after the doctor who delivered him.[2] He was playing guitar by the age of 12,[1] but unlike most country singers of his era he did not grow up with country music at a young age.[3]
Torok attended Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas from 1948 to 1953, on a football and baseball scholarship. Torok majored in art and minored in world history, and played baseball in Garrison, Texas whilst studying.[4]
Early career and chart success
[edit]Torok recorded his first session in Houston with a duet partner named Sally Lee. These masters later wound up on Imperial Records. During the next two years, he performed his own morning radio show on KSFA and KFRD, in Rosenberg and KTRE in Lufkin. The owner of KFRD heard him and suggested that he record some songs. He recorded "Nacogdoches County Line" with the FBC label for his first single.[2] He also recorded "Piney Woods Boogie".
One of Torok's idols, Hank Williams, died suddenly on January 1, 1953.[5] Inspired by a need for some happy songs, he immediately penned a happy-go-lucky song titled "Mexican Joe," which he wrote in thirty minutes based on "Polly Wolly Doodle", initially intending the song for another one of his idols, Hank Snow.[1]
But a new record producer and label owner from Hollywood, Fabor Robison, happened by Nacogdoches and found Torok and the song. Torok wanted one of Robison's supposed heavy West Coast artist to record his song. He reluctantly gave it to him and his Abbott record label, to be recorded by one of his own struggling artists, the then unknown Jim Reeves, in Shreveport. (Torok, feeling the chances of Reeves' record hitting were small or nonexistent, planned to use the Jim Reeves record as a "demo" to send to Hank Snow.) Reeves had been hired to be an announcer on KWKH and the Hayride Show, but not allowed to sing. Torok's song, "Mexican Joe", was recorded by Reeves and it became a number one hit, and spent seven weeks riding the top of the Billboard Country Music Charts. Torok was then signed to Abbott Records.[1]
A month later he wrote "Caribbean", which he recorded. The song became popular in both the Billboard Country and Jukebox charts, and remained at the top for four weeks. It stayed on the country chart for 24 weeks, also a top five hit on both the Best Sellers and Disc Jockey charts,[1] as well as being a No. 13 hit in Australia.
Torok became a member of Louisiana Hayride on KWKH-AM in Shreveport.[1] In 1954, his song "My Arabian Baby" appeared as the B-side of Snow's hit "I Don't Hurt Anymore". Torok gained a No. 8 country hit with "Hootchy Kootchy Henry (From Hawaii)"[1] and in 1956, after joining Decca Records in Nashville, he had top ten success on the UK Singles Chart with his and Gail's song, "When Mexico Gave Up The Rhumba" and "Red Light, Green Light".[6]
This success led to a four-month tour of the United Kingdom in 1957,[1] headlining at the London Palladium. His shows included English comedian Dickie Henderson and Shirley Bassey. It marked the only time Torok has performed with a full pit orchestra with written arrangements on all the songs, led by Torok's own conductor, Maurice " Tex" Bromley, at the on-stage piano with him.[1]
Torok also had another hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1957 – "Pledge of Love" hit No. 25 in 1957.[7] "Pledge of Love" however was a bigger hit for Kenneth Copeland, who recorded over Torok's backing track. Unexpectedly, his previous country song "Caribbean" was re-released in 1959 after Robison sold the master to Guyden Records,[8] and the song peaked at No. 27 on Billboard Hot 100.[7] In 1960, "Pink Chiffon", also on Jamie/Guyden peaked at No. 60 and, in 1996, this song was used as main title music in RKO Pictures film Laura Smiles (2006). Torok also made further recordings for Mercury, and RCA. His last US chart entry was "Instant Love" for the Reprise record label in 1967.[1]
Later career in music and art
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2022) |
Torok continued to write songs, working in partnership with his wife (who has used both "Gayle Jones" and "Ramona Redd" as pseudonyms, the latter being her maiden name).[1] Their songs were recorded by artists including: Skeeter Davis, Kitty Wells, Hank Snow and Willie Nelson, Jerry Wallace, Billy Walker, Barbara Eden, Glen Campbell, Dean Martin.[1] Clint Eastwood sang their song, "No Sweeter Cheater than You" in the Warner Brothers Honky Tonk Man movie. They also wrote the title song "Look Out, Ol' Norwood's Comin' Home!" for Glen Campbell's Paramount movie Norwood, and five other songs on different Campbell albums, including "Arkansas, a tribute to Glen's home state. Hank Snow recorded Torok's songs: "Caribbean", "Dogbone", "My Arabian Baby" and "The Mysterious Lady From St. Martinique" on one of his last RCA albums.[1] "The Redneck National Anthem" was a top 20 hit for Vernon Oxford in 1976.
Combining his art and music, Torok was commissioned to paint a 110-foot, five-panel mural titled "The History of the Grand Ol' Opry", which was on display in the Ryman Auditorium until it was remodeled for live performances. The mural served as a fund raiser for Hank Snow's Abused Children's Foundation while there, as tourists made donations after viewing the mural. He then created the "Elvis-a-Rama", which consisted of a 12-foot-high, 125-foot-long mural with a 22-minute light and music show depicting his life, from his truck driving days in Memphis to his death in 1977. It has been shown in Nashville, in Branson, and recently in Las Vegas, and has been signed by over 50,000 Elvis fans.
Mitchell and his writing-partner, wife Gail also created a tribute to Nashville's 200th birthday while writing for Cedarwood Music, with a 12-song LP recording titled Nashville, filled with songs based on Music City's history.[1] They also wrote, produced and performed on a Texas history album, titled The Ballads of Texas.[9] Torok also wrote a book and accompanying CD, titled Jim Reeves, Me & Mexican Joe, which tells the story of how the song made its way to Reeves. Torok also created smaller artistic tributes to Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, Dolly Parton, Big John Merritt and other smaller creations.
Personal life and death
[edit]Torok married Gail Redd, a beauty queen, from Lufkin, Texas, in 1951.[10] She died on August 3, 1985, at the age of 52.[11]
In April 2014, it was reported that Torok had moved to Alvin, Texas at the age of 84, to live with his daughter.[5] He died in Alvin on November 16, 2017, at the age of 88.[12][13]
Discography
[edit]- Caribbean – 1960 (Guyden)
- Guitar Course (Instant Fun) – 1966 (Reprise)
Singles
[edit]| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [14] |
US Country [14] |
UK [15] | ||
| 1953 | "Caribbean" | — | 1 | — |
| 1954 | "Hootchey Kootchey Henry (From Hawaii)" | — | 9 | — |
| 1956 | "When Mexico Gave Up the Rhumba" | — | — | 6 |
| 1957 | "Red Light Green Light" | — | — | 29 |
| "When Mexico Gave Up the Rhumba" | — | — | 30 | |
| "Pledge of Love" | 26 | — | — | |
| 1959 | "Caribbean"A | 27 | — | — |
| "Mexican Joe" | 102 | — | — | |
| 1960 | "Pink Chiffon" | 60 | — | — |
| 1967 | "Instant Love" | — | 73 | — |
- A"Caribbean" also peaked at No. 26 on R&B Chart.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 447/8. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
- ^ a b Escott, Colin (2002). Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music. Routledge. pp. 95–99. ISBN 9780415937832.
- ^ Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music (2002), pg. 97
- ^ I Forgot To Remember To Forget (2012), chapter 59
- ^ a b "At 84, Mitchell Torok moves to Alvin after life writing hit songs, painting mural of Elvis in Vegas and writing books". Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 562. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. 7th edition, 2000; ISBN 978-0823076901
- ^ Escott, Colin (2002). Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music. Routledge. pp. 100–101. ISBN 9780415937832.
- ^ Big Spring Herald, 24 September 1972, pg. 76
- ^ The Baytown Sun, 11 Sep 1952, pg. 26
- ^ The Tennessean, 7 August 1985, pg. 19
- ^ Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved July 28, 2023
- ^ "Mitchell Torok". Hillbilly Music. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Mitchell Torok". Music VF.com.
- ^ "Mitchell Torok". The Official Charts Company.
External links
[edit]- Mitchell Torok discography at Discogs
- Mitchell Torok at IMDb
- Mitchell Torok discography at Discogs Entry for Gail/Ramona Redd
