[78-L] Mel Tormé

[kil at roadrunner.com]

I read once that Mel Tormé was asked who he thought was the best female singer of the Big Band Era, and he surprised everyone by answering, Patty Andrews.  I, for one, totally agree.

I found this tribute on Tormé's Wikipedia site...  

In his 1994 book "My Singing Teachers", Tormé cited Patty Andrews, lead singer of the Andrews Sisters, the most successful show business act of the 1940s (second only to Bing Crosby), as one of his favorite vocalists, saying, "They had more hit records to their credit than you could count, and one of the main reasons for their popularity was Patty Andrews. She stood in the middle of her sisters, planted her feet apart, and belted out solos as well as singing the lead parts with zest and confidence. The kind of singing she did cannot be taught, it can't be studied in books, it can't be written down. Long experience as a singer and wide-open ears were her only teachers, and she learned her lessons well."

The Andrews Sisters were not in my Top 5 favorites choices, but they are definitely in my Top 10.  I fear Patty's passing will be much too quickly glossed over and forgotten, as was that of Perry Como. True giants.  I feel older tonight. 
RayK