Happy Anniversary

Yesterday, June 29th, was my parents' wedding anniversary.  Married in 1929, it was their eighty-fourth.  Here's a photo of the wedding party.

The Revelers Quartet, with whom my father was singing, were a part of the wedding—and the honeymoon.  My parents' honeymoon trip to Europe was shared with the Revelers' scheduled concert tour to Paris, Amsterdam, Scheveningen, Cologne, Basel, Geneva, Vienna and Salzburg, all in two weeks!  A five-day crossing on the Olympic (sister ship to the Titanic) prepared them for the hectic schedule abroad.

Book Review on Opera Today website

One of my wonderful "far-flung correspondents," Dr. William Clayton, has written a great review of my book which is currently posted on the the Opera Today website.  Here's the link:

http://www.operatoday.com/content/2013/06/james_melton_th.php

Here's how the website describes itself:

Created in 2004, OPERA TODAY is regarded as a leading web site relating to opera and vocal music. The site provides reviews of current performances, recordings and books, interviews of performers, commentary and links to recent news items. OPERA TODAY endeavors to be an indispensable resource for opera lovers.

OPERA TODAY differs from other web sites in this area through its organization and colorful design. The variety in content and presentation of textual material in OPERA TODAY is incomparable. Moreover, no registration or subscription is required.

And speaking of opera...
I spent yesterday afternoon recording an hour-long program on my father with Vermont Public Radio's Peter Fox Smith, to air on Saturday, July 6th from 12:00-1:00 PM.  His weekly radio program is entitled "A Passion for Opera"—the same title as his fascinating opera guidebook (published in 2004).  VPR classical can also be listened to as a live stream through your computer.

1910 Stanley Steamer

In this 1942 photograph, James Melton is siphoning water from the Saugatuck River in Weston, Connecticut for his 1910 Stanley Steamer, while his wife watches patiently.

James Cagney and James Melton

James Cagney and James Melton

Speaking of George M. Cohan—James Cagney played Cohan in the movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy" in 1942.  

In 1943 my father sang at an old-timers baseball game at the Polo Grounds to raise money for War Bonds. Irving Berlin, Ethel Merman, James Cagney, Milton Berle, former New York Mayor Jimmie Walker participated, but Babe Ruth stole the show with a home run.

James Melton with George M. Cohan

I recently purchased this photo on e-bay.  On the reverse it says: “Intimate shot of George M. Cohan telling a story to James Melton.”  Don’t you wish you knew what that story was?  There’s no date on the photo, but given that Cohan died in 1942 (at the age of sixty-four), and given how young my father looks, the photo has to be from the mid to late 1930s.

Cohan published more than 300 songs during his lifetime, including the standards "Over There," "Give My Regards to Broadway," and "You're a Grand Old Flag."

  

Amazing, there is still Melton memorabilia out there on e-bay! 

The Tenor of His Times

For Immediate Release

Hawk Pine Press is pleased to announce the publication of 

James Melton: The Tenor of His Times, by his daughter, 

Margo Melton Nutt.

The James Melton story is the story of an era—the first half of the twentieth century: from the Roaring Twenties, through the Depression, WWII, and post-war prosperity. It is also a rags-to-riches-to-rags story of a talented, confident young man who raised himself from obscure beginnings in a tiny Florida town to the height of fame on stage, screen and airwaves—but who could not live without the adulation of an adoring public, and who had nothing to fall back on as he aged and musical tastes changed.

The Tenor of His Times is a daughter’s attempt to rediscover the fascinating man who was her father—to understand what motivated his successes and to sympathize with the many pressures that brought him down. 

—Peter Fox Smith, Vermont Public Radio personality and author of A Passion for Opera, has commented:

“Finally, a much needed James Melton biography that is a comprehensive addition to American musical history. This engaging book about one of our most beloved singers will make you want to hear again that beautiful voice. For the author, the researching and writing of this book about her famous father has been a liberating self-discovery of a past both exhilarating and agonizing, told in captivating prose.“

Paperback, 268 pages (with 35 photos), ISBN #1482391449,  April 2013

Copies of the book can be ordered through Amazon.com, or from the author, at a cost of $20.00 plus $3.99 shipping. 

Contact: Margo Melton Nutt, 560 Hawk Pine Road, Norwich, VT 05055 or tenorofhistimes@gmail.com for further information.

Direct link to the book on Amazon: 

http://www.amazon.com/James-Melton-Tenor-His-Times/dp/1482391449/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368660520&sr=1-1&keywords=tenor+of+his+times

1905 Fiat Touring Car

I received some interesting information the other day from Jonathan Sierakowski, who researches the provenance of antique autos for RM Auctions. He lets me know whenever he finds an ex-James Melton car. (Thank you Jonathan!)

 Here’s what his most recent communiqué said about a car my father previously owned (but sold in 1942) that will come up for auction in  Italy in May.

 "Heading the ever-expanding list of mouth-watering vehicles on offer is the 1905 FIAT 60HP Five-Passenger Touring Car, built especially for American-based brewing magnate August Anheuser Busch. The example on offer is the second of just 20 chassis manufactured, the first having been supplied to Anheuser Busch’s friend, Kaiser Wilhelm II, of Germany. Often thought of as one of the first true, cost-no-object supercars, this mighty FIAT was ordered through the American importer Hollander and Tangman, and the completed chassis was delivered to the luxury coachbuilder Quimby, in New Jersey. Spectacularly extravagant and expensive in period—it cost in excess of $20,000, a staggering sum in 1905—chassis 3003 is offered for sale publicly for the first time in 108 years, having lived most of its life within a few miles of its very first home.

Described as being totally original, including paint, brasswork, upholstery and mechanics, and with complete matching numbers throughout, this FIAT now represents the only one of its kind left in the world, and it is without doubt one of the most coveted examples of the early high-powered, road going race cars to be found. With its aluminum-clad body, it still boasts many unique mechanical features fitted exclusively to the car in period. It is offered in excellent running condition, yet it retains a wonderful patina accrued over its 108-year life. The car graced the lawns of Pebble Beach at the 2012 Concours d’Elegance, and most recently, it was displayed at the LeMay America’s Museum."