Alan George Heywood Melly (17 August 1926 – 5 July 2007) was an English

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

singer, critic, writer, and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

''; he also lectured on

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

, with an emphasis on

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

Early life and career

Melly was born at The Grange, St Michael's Hamlet,

Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Dingle, and Edge Hill. The area w ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, the elder son and eldest of three children of wool broker Francis Heywood Melly and (Edith) Maud, née Isaac. His mother was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. Melly was a descendant of the shipowner and Liberal MP

George Melly Alan George Heywood Melly (17 August 1926 – 5 July 2007) was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer, and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for ''The Observer''; he also lectured on art history, with an ...

. He was also a relative of the philanthropist

Emma Holt Emma Holt (10 January 1862 – 19 December 1944) was a British philanthropist and supporter of women's education. She was seen as Liverpool University's "Fairy Godmother". Life Holt was born in West Derby (now in Liverpool). She was the only child ...

, of Sudley House Liverpool; her sister had married Melly's great-grandfather. Melly was educated at

Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

where he discovered his interest in

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

and

and started coming to terms with his sexuality. Melly was an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

. Interviewed by

Nigel Farndale Nigel Farndale (born 1964) is a British author and journalist, known for his broadsheet interviews and his bestselling novel ''The Blasphemer''. He has written seven books: four novels, two biographies and a collection of interviews. His latest ...

in 2005, Melly said "I don't understand people panicking about death. It's inevitable. I'm an atheist; you'd think it would make it worse, but it doesn't. I've done quite a lot in the world, not necessarily of great significance, but I have done it."

Interest in surrealist art

Melly once said that he may have been drawn to

by a particular experience he had during his teenage years. A frequent visitor to Liverpool's

Sefton Park Sefton Park is a public park in south Liverpool, England. The park is in a district of the same name, located roughly within the historic bounds of the large area of Toxteth Park. Neighbouring districts include modern-day Toxteth, Aigburth, ...

near his home, he often entered its tropical Palm House and there chatted to wounded soldiers from a nearby military hospital. It was the incongruity of this sight, men smoking among the exotic plants, dressed in their hospital uniforms and usually missing a limb, that he felt he later recognised in the work of the Surrealists. He joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

at the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

because, as he quipped to the recruiting officer, the uniforms were "so much nicer". As he related in his autobiography ''Rum, Bum and Concertina'', he was crestfallen to discover that he would not be sent to a ship and was thus denied the "bell-bottom" uniform he desired. Instead he received desk duty and wore the other Navy uniform, described as "the dreaded fore-and-aft". Later, however, he did go to sea but never saw action; he was almost court-martialled for distributing

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

literature.

Post-war life and career

After the war Melly found work in a London surrealist gallery, working with

E. L. T. Mesens Édouard Léon Théodore Mesens (27 November 1903 – 13 May 1971) was a Belgian artist and writer associated with the Belgian Surrealist movement. Biography Mesens was born in Brussels, Belgium. He started his artistic career as a musician inf ...

and eventually drifted into the world of jazz, finding work with

Mick Mulligan Peter Sidney "Mick" Mulligan (24 January 1928 – 20 December 2006) was an English jazz trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his presence on the trad jazz scene. Biography He was born in Harrow, Middlesex, England. Mulligan began playing ...

's Magnolia Jazz Band. This was a time (1948 onwards) when

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and "New Orleans Revival" style jazz were very popular in Britain. In January 1963, the British music magazine ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' reported that the biggest trad jazz event to be staged in Britain had taken place at

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

. The event included

Alex Welsh Alex Welsh (9 July 1929 – 25 June 1982) was a Scottish jazz musician who played cornet and trumpet and was also a bandleader and singer, Biography Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Welsh started playing in the teenage Leith Silver Band and wi ...

Diz Disley William Charles "Diz" Disley (27 May 1931 – 22 March 2010) was an Anglo-Canadian jazz guitarist and banjoist. He is best known for his acoustic jazz guitar playing, strongly influenced by Django Reinhardt, for his contributions to the UK trad ...

Acker Bilk Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was a British clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistc ...

Chris Barber Donald Christopher "Chris" Barber OBE (17 April 1930 – 2 March 2021) was an English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and trombonist. He helped many musicians with their careers and had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with " Petite Fl ...

Kenny Ball Kenneth Daniel Ball (22 May 1930Larkin C., ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music''. (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), p. 29; ) – 7 March 2013) was an English jazz musician, best known as the bandleader, lead trumpet player and vocalist in Kenny Ball and ...

Ken Colyer Kenneth Colyer (18 April 1928 – 8 March 1988) was an English jazz trumpeter and cornetist, devoted to New Orleans jazz. His band was also known for skiffle interludes. Biography He was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, but grew up i ...

Monty Sunshine Monty Sunshine (9 April 1928 – 30 November 2010) was an English jazz clarinettist, who is known for his clarinet solo on the track " Petite Fleur", a million seller for the Chris Barber Jazz Band in 1959. During his career, Sunshine worked w ...

Bob Wallis Robert Wallis (3 June 1934 – 10 January 1991) was a British jazz musician, who had a handful of chart success in the early 1960s, during the UK traditional jazz boom. Biography Wallis was born in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, where ...

Bruce Turner Malcom Bruce Turner (5 July 1922 – 28 November 1993) was an English jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. Biography Born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, England, and educated at Dulwich College, he learned to play the clarine ...

and Melly. In 1956 he became a writer on the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

''s satirical newspaper strip ''Flook'', illustrated by

Trog ''Trog'' is a 1970 British science fiction horror film directed by Freddie Francis, and starring Joan Crawford in a story about the discovery of a troglodyte (or Ice Age "caveman") in twentieth-century United Kingdom. The screenplay was written ...

. He continued this until 1971. He retired from jazz in 1962 when he became a film critic for ''

'' He was also scriptwriter on the 1967

satirical film Satire is a television and film genre in the fictional or pseudo-fictional category that employs satirical techniques, be it of a political, religious, or social variety. Works using satire are often seen as controversial or taboo in nature, with ...

Smashing Time ''Smashing Time'' is a 1967 British satirical comedy film starring Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave. It is a satire on the 1960s media-influenced phenomenon of ''Swinging London''. It was written by George Melly and directed by Desmond Davis ...

''. The period from 1948 until 1963 is described in ''Owning Up''. He returned to jazz in the early 1970s with

John Chilton John James Chilton (16 July 1932 – 25 February 2016) was a British jazz trumpeter and writer. During the 1960s, he also worked with pop bands, including The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Escorts. He won a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes in 19 ...

's Feetwarmers, a partnership that ended in 2003. He later sang with

Digby Fairweather Richard John Charles "Digby" Fairweather (born 25 April 1946) is a British jazz cornetist, author and broadcaster. Biography Before becoming a professional musician, Fairweather was a librarian and has retained an interest in jazz bibliograph ...

's band. He released six albums in the 1970s including ''Nuts'' in 1972 and ''Son of Nuts'' the next year. He wrote a light column, ''Mellymobile'', in ''Punch'' magazine describing their tours. He was an Honorary Associate of the

National Secular Society The National Secular Society (NSS) is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of it. It was ...

and a Distinguished Supporter of the

British Humanist Association Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious b ...

. Melly was President of the BHA 1972–4, and was also an Honorary Associate of the Rationalist Association. He was also a member of the Max Miller Appreciation Society and, on 1 May 2005, joined

Roy Hudd Roy Hudd, OBE (16 May 1936 – 15 March 2020) was an English comedian, actor, presenter, radio host, author and authority on the history of music hall entertainment. Early life Hudd was born in Croydon on 16 May 1936 to Evalina "Evie" (née ...

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...

, and others to unveil a statue of Miller in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. His singing style in particular for the blues, was strongly influenced by his idol,

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and ...

. While many British musicians of the time treated jazz and blues with almost religious solemnity, Melly rejoiced in their more bawdy side, and this was reflected in his choice of songs and exuberant stage performances. He recorded a track called "Old Codger" with

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origina ...

in 1978, for which the lyrics were especially written for him by then band member,

Hugh Cornwell Hugh Alan Cornwell (born 28 August 1949) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and writer, best known for being the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the punk rock and new wave band the Stranglers from 1974 to 1990. Since leaving the ...

. Melly, who was

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

, moved from strictly homosexual relationships in his teens and twenties to largely heterosexual relationships from his thirties onwards. He married twice and had a child from each marriage, though his first child Pandora was not known to be his until she was much older. He married his second wife, Diana Moynihan (née Dawson), in 1963Jazz singer George Melly dies
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', 5 July 2007 and they lived on Gloucester Crescent in

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

. She brought with her two children (Candy and Patrick) from two previous marriages. Patrick died from a heroin overdose in his twenties. Their own son, Tom, was born two days after the wedding. Diana published an autobiography in 2005 of their life and (open) marriage together.

Brecon

George and Diana Melly had a country retreat, the Tower, at Scethrog in the Brecon Beacons, between 1971 and 1999. This was somewhere Melly could escape the jazz world and indulge his love of fishing on the

River Usk The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it fl ...

. Jazz followed him to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and this led to a series of celebrated performances in the area and in the

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

valleys. In 1984 the

Brecon Jazz Festival The Brecon Jazz Festival is a music festival held annually in Brecon, Wales. Normally staged in early August, it has played host to a range of jazz musicians from across the world. Created in 1984 by local enthusiasts – musicians, promoters a ...

was conceived by a group of jazz enthusiasts who gained widespread support from the local community. Melly was the first musician to be contracted for the opening festival and remained a supporter until his death. He was a factor in the festival's success and served as its president in 1991. As well as being the President of the Contemporary Arts Society for Wales, Melly was a contemporary art collector. His passion for

surrealist art Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

continued throughout his life and he lectured and wrote extensively on the subject. His passion for

fly-fishing Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly differ ...

never dwindled and in later life he sold several important paintings (by Magritte and

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

) enabling him to buy a mile of land by the

. In 2000 he published ''Hooked!'', a book on fly-fishing.

Later years and death

Melly was still active in music, journalism, and lecturing on surrealism and other aspects of

until his death, despite worsening health problems such as

vascular dementia Vascular dementia (VaD) is dementia caused by problems in the supply of blood to the brain, typically a series of minor strokes, leading to worsening cognitive abilities, the decline occurring piecemeal. The term refers to a syndrome consisti ...

, incipient

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

, and lung cancer. His encouragement and support to gallery owner Michael Budd led to a posthumous exhibition for the modern abstract artist

François Lanzi François Lanzi (5 July 1916 – 13 November 1988) was a French-born artist who lived a large part of his adult life in the United Kingdom. His life He was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, on 5 July 1916, to Laurent Lanzi and Clementine Sartoni. ...

. Melly suffered from environmental hearing loss because of long-term exposure to stage

sound systems In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

, and his hearing in both ears became increasingly poor. Despite these problems, Melly would often joke that he found some parts of his ailing health to be enjoyable. He often equated his dementia to a quite amusing

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

trip, and took a lot of pleasure from his deafness, which he said made many boring conversations more interesting. On Sunday 10 June 2007, Melly made an appearance, announced as his last ever performance, at the

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

in London. This was on the occasion of a fund-raising event to benefit the charity supporting his carers. He died at his London home of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

and

(which he had for the last two years of his life), aged 80, on 5 July 2007. His

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

funeral was held at the West London Crematorium, in Kensal Green. The hearse was led by a jazz band, including

on trumpet, playing a New Orleans funeral march. His cardboard coffin was covered with old snapshots and cartoons of Melly by his friends, as well as hand-drawn decorations. On 17 February 2008

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

broadcast ''George Melly's Last Stand'' (produced by Walker George Films), an intimate portrayal of Melly's last months. His sister

Andrée Melly Andrée Melly (15 September 1932 – 31 January 2020) was an English actress. Career Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, she performed at the Old Vic in ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''The Merchant of Venice'' and T.S. Eliot’s '' Murder in the Cathedral ...

was an actress, who lived in

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

with her husband,

Oscar Quitak Oscar Morris Quitak (born 10 March 1926) is a British stage, film and television actor. Quitak's stage work includes roles at the Old Vic and the National Theatre; as well as the original West End and Broadway productions of the musical '' Pi ...

. In 2018 writer, musician and film maker Chris Wade made a documentary about Melly entitled ''The Certainty of Hazard'', featuring his wife Diana, son Tom, and various friends and associates.

Bibliography

*''I, Flook'' (cartoon strip in the ''

'' with

Wally Fawkes Walter Ernest Fawkes (born 21 June 1924) is a British-Canadian jazz clarinetist and satirical cartoonist. As a cartoonist, he usually worked under the name "Trog" until failing eyesight forced him to retire in 2005 at the age of 81. Early hi ...

illustrating, 1962). *''Owning Up'' (autobiography, covering his career during the trad-jazz boom, 1965) *''The Media Mob'', with

Barry Fantoni Barry Ernest Fantoni (born 28 February 1940) is a British author, cartoonist and jazz musician of Italian and Jewish descent, most famous for his work with the magazine ''Private Eye'', for whom he also created Neasden F.C. He has also published ...

(1970) *''Revolt into Style: The Pop Arts in Britain'' (1970) *''Rum, Bum and Concertina'' (autobiography, covering his years in the Navy in the 1940s, 1977) *''A Tribe of One: Great Naive and Primitive Painters of the British Isles'' (1981) *''Great Lovers'' (1981, text only—art and research by Walter Dorin) *''Swans Reflecting Elephants: A Biography of

Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inherite ...

'' (1982) *''Mellymobile'' (1982) *''Scouse Mouse'' (autobiography, covering his childhood in Liverpool, 1984) *''It's All Writ Out for You: Life and Work of Scottie Wilson'' (1986) *''Paris and the Surrealists'' (1991) *''Don't Tell Sybil: An Intimate Memoir of

'' (1997) *''Hooked! Fishing Memories'' (2000) *''Slowing Down'' (memoir, 2005)

Books partly about Melly

*''Take a Girl Like Me'' (autobiography by his wife, Diana Melly, 2005) *''Hot Jazz, Warm Feet'' (autobiography of his long-time colleague John Chilton, 2007) *''On the Road with George Melly'' (memoir by Digby Fairweather, 2013) *''The Life and Work of George Melly'' (book on Melly's books and music, written by Chris Wade, 2018)

Selected discography

Singles

George Melly Trio * "

Rock Island Line "Rock Island Line" is an American folk song. Ostensibly about the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it appeared as a folk song as early as 1929. The first recorded performance of "Rock Island Line" was by inmates of the Arkansas Cummins ...

" b/w "

Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair" is a late-1920s blues song written by composer George Brooks and made famous by Bessie Smith.Steve Terrell. "Terrell's tune-up - pop CD reviews" (column on death-penalty themed songs), ''The Santa Fe New Mexican'', 1 ...

" (Tempo A96) (1951) George Melly With Alex Welsh and his Dixielanders * " Frankie and Johnny" b/w "I'm Down in the Dumps" (Decca 45-F 10457) (1952) George Melly * "Kitchen Man" b/w "Jazzbo Brown from Memphis Town" (Tempo A104) George Melly With Mick Mulligan and his Band * "Kingdom Coming" b/w "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy" (Decca 45-F 10763) (1956) George Melly With Mick Mulligan's Jazz Band * "Jenny's Ball" b/w "Muddy Water" (Tempo A 144) (July 1956) George Melly With Mick Mulligan and his Band * " Waiting For a Train" b/w ''Railroadin' Man'' (Decca 45-F 10779) George Melly With Mick Mulligan and his Band * " Heebie Jeebies" b/w "My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes" (Decca 45-F 10806) George Melly * "Black Bottom" b/w "Magnolia" (Decca 45-F-10840) (1957) * "

Abdul Abulbul Amir "Abdul Abulbul Amir" is the most common name for a music-hall song written in 1877 (during the Russo-Turkish War) under the title "Abdulla Bulbul Ameer" by Irish songwriter Percy French, and subsequently altered and popularized by a variety of o ...

" b/w "Get Away, Old Man, Get Away" (Decca F-11115) (February 1959) * "Ise a Muggin'" b/w "Run Come See Jerusalem" (Pye 7N 15353) (February 1960) * "Monkey and the Baboon" b/w "Funny Feathers" (Columbia 45-DB 4664) (1963?) George Melly and the Feetwarmers * "Nuts" b/w "Sam Jones Blues" (Warner Brothers K16249) (February 1973) George Melly with John Chilton's Feetwarmers * "Good Time George" b/w "My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes" (Warner Brothers K16533) (March 1974) George Melly with John Chilton's Feetwarmers and His Orchestra * "Billy Fisher" b/w "Punchdrunk Mama" (CBS 2405) (May 1974) George Melly with John Chilton's Feetwarmers * " Ain't Misbehavin'" b/w "My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes" (Warner Brothers K16533) (March 1975) George Melly with John Chilton's Feetwarmers and Other Friends * "I Long To Get It On Down" b/w "Inflation Blues" (Warner Brothers K16574) (June 1975) George Melly * " Pennies from Heaven" b/w "Punch and Judy" (Reprise Records K14453) (November 1976) * "

Makin' Whoopee "Makin' Whoopee" is a jazz/ blues song, first popularized by Eddie Cantor in the 1928 musical '' Whoopee!''. Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics and Walter Donaldson composed the music for the song as well as for the entire musical. The title refers to ce ...

" b/w "

Everybody Loves My Baby "Everybody Loves My Baby", also known as "Everybody Loves My Baby, but My Baby Don't Love Nobody but Me", is a popular and jazz standard song composed by Spencer Williams in 1924. Lyrics were written by Jack Palmer. One important early recording ...

" (PRT Records 7P 268) (1983) George Melly with John Chilton's Feetwarmers * "Masculine Women, Feminine Men" b/w "It's The Bluest Kind of Blues" (PRT Records 7P 318) (1984) * "Hometown" b/w "I Won't Grow Old" (PRT Records 7P 368) (1986) * "

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

" b/w "

September Song "September Song" is an American standard popular song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. It was introduced by Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway musical production ''Knickerbocker Holiday.'' The song has been recorded by nu ...

" (PYS 14) (1988)

Extended players

George Melly with Mick Mulligan's Jazz Band * ''George Melly'' (Tempo EXA 41) (July 1956): "Jenny's Ball" / "Organ Grinder" / "Muddy Water" / "You've Got The Right Key But The Wrong Keyhole" * ''George Melly Sings Doom'' (Tempo EXA 46) (November 1956): "Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair" / "Cemetery Blues" / "Blue Spirit Blues" / "

Death Letter "Death Letter", also known as "Death Letter Blues", is the signature song of the Delta blues musician Son House. It is structured upon House's earlier recording "My Black Mama, Part 2" from 1930. House's 1965 performance was on a metal-bodied Na ...

" * ''Nothing Personal. George Melly Sings The Blues'' (Decca DFE 6552) (December 1958): "Michigan Water Blues" / "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" / "

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

" / "Spider Crawl" George Melly * ''George Melly Sings Songs Of Frank Crumit'' (Decca DFE 6557) (1959): "

" / "Get Away Old Man, Get Away" / "Granny's Old Armchair" / "Donald The Dub (The Dirty Little Pill)" * ''The Psychological Significance Of Animal Symbolism In American Negro Folk Music And All That Jazz'' (Columbia SEG 8093) (1961): "Monkey And The Baboon" / "Put It Right Here" / "Black Mare Blues" / "Funny Feathers"

LPs

George Melly * ''Nothing Personal'' (Decca) (1958) Mick Mulligan's Magnolia Jazz Band With George Melly * ''Meet Mick Mulligan'' (Pye NJ 21) (1959). Re-released on LP Pye NSPL 18424 (1973) and possibly on CD Hallmark (2011) George Melly * ''Nuts'' (Warner Bros. K46188) (1972) * ''Son of Nuts'' (Warner Bros. K46269) (1973) * ''It's George'' (Warner Bros. K56087) (1974) * ''Melly Is At It Again'' (Reprise K54084) (1976) * ''Melly Sings Hoagy'' (Pye NSPL 18557) (1978) * ''George Melly Sings Fats Waller'' (Pye NSPL 18602) (1979) * ''Let's Do It'' (PRT Records N131) (1980) * ''Like Sherry Wine'' (PRT Records N140) (1981) * ''Makin' Whoopie'' (PRT Records N147) (1982) * ''The Many Moods of Melly'' (PRT Records N6550) (1984) * ''Running Wild'' (Precision Records) (1986) * ''Anything Goes'' (PRT Records PYL15) (1988) * ''Puttin' On the Ritz'' (Legacy Records LLP 135) (1990)

LP compilations

* ''The World of George Melly'' (The Fifties) (Decca SPA 288) (1973) * ''Unforgettable 16 Golden Classics'' (Castle UNLP 014)

Original CDs

* ''The Many Moods of Melly'' (PRT Records N6550) (1984) * ''Running Wild'' (Precision Records CDN 6562) (1986) * ''Anything Goes'' (PRT Records PYC 15) (1988) * ''Puttin' On the Ritz'' (Legacy Records LLCD 135) (1990) * ''Frankie and Johnny'' (D Sharp DSH CD 7001) (1992) * ''Best of Live'' (D Sharp DSH LCD 7019) (1995) * ''Anything Goes'' (Pulse PLS CD 112) (1996). Compilation CD with 11 of the 12 tracks from the original LP and 11 additional tracks from the LP ''Puttin' On the Ritz'' * ''Singing and Swinging the Blues'' (Robinwood RWP 0019) (2003). George Melly and Digby Fairweather's Half Dozen * ''The Ultimate Melly'' (Candid CCD 79843) (2006). George Melly and Digby Fairweather's Half Dozen * ''Farewell Blues'' (Lake LACD 250) (2007). George Melly and Digby Fairweather's Half Dozen

CD compilations and reissues

* ''Golden Hour of George Melly'' (Knight Records) (1994). Compilation of Pye/PRT Recordings'. * ''The Best of George Melly'' (Kaz 22) (1992). Compilation of Pye recordings, with both John Chilton and Mick Mulligan'. * ''The Best of George Melly'' (TrueTrax TRT CD 160) (1994). Compilation CD with tracks from ''Anything Goes'' and ''Puttin' On the Ritz'' * ''Meet Mick Mulligan and George Melly'' (Lake LACD66) (1996). Reissue of ''Meet Mick Mulligan'', with four additional tracks by Mick Mulligan * ''Ravers'' (Lake LACD150) (2001). Mick Mulligan and His Jazz Band, featuring George Melly. Includes Melly's singles from 1956 * ''Goodtime George'' (Spectrum 544 465–2) (2001/6?). Retitled reissue of ''The World of George Melly'' with additional tracks * ''The Pye Jazz Anthology'' (Castle CMDDD 483) (2002) * ''Live'' (Lake LACD176) (2002). Mick Mulligan and His Jazz Band with George Melly (on some tracks). Reissue of the band's cuts on the Tempo LPs ''Third British Festival of Jazz'' (Tempo TAP LP 11) (1956) and ''Jazz at The Railway Arms'' (Tempo TAP LP 14) (1957) * ''Nuts / Son of Nuts'' (Warner Brothers 6751781) (2004) * ''First and Last'' (for dementia GMFDAND01) (2008) Career spanning anthology (with some previously unreleased tracks) produced posthumously * ''Nothing Personal'' (Lake LACD 265) (2008). Reissue of ''Nothing Personal'', with additional material * ''Sporting Life'' (Hallmark) (2011). Retitled reissue of ''The World of George Melly'' * ''George Melly Sings Doom'' (Cherry Red El ACMEM273CD) (2014). Compilation of Decca recordings

References

External links

George Melly website

BBC Obituary
* Sarah Knapton

''The Guardian'', 6 July 2007
"George Melly" (obituary)
''The Economist'', 12 July 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Melly, George 1926 births 2007 deaths English humanists English jazz singers English male journalists English male voice actors Musicians from Liverpool Writers from Liverpool LGBT musicians from England LGBT singers from the United Kingdom Bisexual men Bisexual musicians People educated at Stowe School Deaths from lung cancer in England 20th-century English singers British comics writers English atheists Royal Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people