The union of Torme and the Mel-Tones was created from fortuitous circumstances. Drummer/band leader Ben Pollack, who was the Chico Marx band organizer/manager at the time, must be credited as the matchmaker. He brought Torme together with these five Los Angeles City College students, who had billed themselves as "The School Kids," singing informally in and around the campus environs. Their respective needs meshed as the group's bass singer and vocal arranger Tom Kenny was headed for a US Army uniform. Torme arrived on the scene as if on cue, and the first edition of the group was launched with Bernie Parke, Diz Disruhd, Betty Beveridge, and Ginny O'Connor, plus Torme who doubled as arranger. Later Disruhd became another wartime draftee and was replaced by Les Baxter (whose reputation in future years as a composer/ arranger elevated him to the heavy talent ranks in the industry).
They assumed a fresh name, "The Skylarks," which failed to achieve more than a modicum of success. They then tried the label "The Mel-Tones," which caught on as the key name for them and indeed, they flourished as the hippest modern-sounding vocal group-appearing in several motion pictures and numerous sustaining radio shows. They ultimately expanded their name to Mel Torme and the Mel-Tones in recognition of Torme's dual role as the arranger and solo vocalist. As fate would often dictate, just when things were cooking and popping, Torme also inevitable answered the call to the Armed Services in 1945, and the group broke up.
