Mel Henke (August 4, 1915 – March 31, 1979) was an American jazz pianist, Chicago

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...

, composer, arranger and

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...

writer. Henke studied at the Chicago College of Music, then played with Chicago groups with Mitch Todd,

Frank Snyder Frank Elton Snyder (May 27, 1895 – January 5, 1962), was an American professional baseball, professional baseball player and coach (baseball), coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1912 to 1927 for the New York Giants (NL ...

, Stephen Leonard and others. Henke recorded many jazz standards with his own arrangements, including a 1946 piano solo on

Bix Beiderbecke Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer. Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical app ...

's 1928 "

In a Mist "In a Mist" is a 1927 composition for piano by Bix Beiderbecke. Background "In a Mist" was first recorded by Beiderbecke as a piano solo on September 9, 1927 in New York and released as OKeh 40916 backed with "Wringin' an' Twistin'" which was r ...

". His best-known jingles included the

Ajax cleanser Ajax is a brand of household cleaning products and detergents made by Colgate-Palmolive. The brand is also licensed by Colgate-Palmolive in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. History Colgate-Palmolive introduced Ajax Powdered Clean ...

"stronger than dirt" jingle, for

Colgate-Palmolive Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health car ...

, and "

See the USA in Your Chevrolet The song "See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet" (title as filed for 1950 copyright) is a commercial jingle from c. 1949, with lyrics and music by Leo Corday ( ASCAP) and Leon Carr (ASCAP), written for the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. The ...

" jingle for

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

.''CMJ New Music Monthly'' January 1998, page 12 "... La Dolce Henke by '60s jingle writer Mel Henke ("He's the guy who wrote the famous Ajax, 'stronger-than-dirt' jingle and 'See-the-U.S.A.-in-your-Chevrolet, explains Warren),"

References

1915 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American musicians American jazz bandleaders American jazz pianists Contemporary Records artists Jazz musicians from Illinois Jingle writers Musicians from Chicago RCA Victor artists Tempo Records (US) artists Warner Records artists {{US-jazz-pianist-stub