Mel Carter
Encyclopedia
Mel Carter is an American
singer
and actor
. He is best known for his 1965 million selling recording, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
".
for Sam Cooke
's SAR record label
in the early 1960s. He had his first hit
in 1962 at the age of nineteen with "When a Boy Falls in Love", which was co-written by Cooke.
By the time he reached his commercial peak with Imperial Records
in the middle of the decade, he was specializing in pop
ballad
s. His biggest success was the Top 10 Billboard Hot 100
hit
, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
," which reached #8, in 1965. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. He had a couple of other Top 40 entries over the next year, "Band of Gold
" and "All of a Sudden My Heart Sings", as well as a few other easy listening sellers.
Carter appeared on the DVD
of the PBS special, Doo Wop 51, recorded in 2001 performing his hit.
Carter later acted on television program
mes such as Quincy, M.E.
, Sanford and Son
, Marcus Welby, M.D.
and Magnum, P.I.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is best known for his 1965 million selling recording, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" was released as single from Gloria Estefan's fourth solo-credited studio album Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.-Formats and track listings:Europe CD Maxi Single ...
".
Biography
Carter recordedSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
for Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
's SAR record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in the early 1960s. He had his first hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in 1962 at the age of nineteen with "When a Boy Falls in Love", which was co-written by Cooke.
By the time he reached his commercial peak with Imperial Records
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...
in the middle of the decade, he was specializing in pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s. His biggest success was the Top 10 Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" was released as single from Gloria Estefan's fourth solo-credited studio album Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.-Formats and track listings:Europe CD Maxi Single ...
," which reached #8, in 1965. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. He had a couple of other Top 40 entries over the next year, "Band of Gold
Band of Gold (1955 song)
"Band of Gold" is a popular song with music by Jack Taylor and lyrics by Bob Musel. It was published in 1955.The biggest hit version was recorded by Don Cherry in 1955. This version reached the top five on the pop chart in the United States...
" and "All of a Sudden My Heart Sings", as well as a few other easy listening sellers.
Carter appeared on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the PBS special, Doo Wop 51, recorded in 2001 performing his hit.
Carter later acted on television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
mes such as Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E., also called Quincy, is a United States television series from Universal Studios that aired from October 3, 1976, to September 5, 1983, on NBC...
, Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
, Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
and Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
.
External links
- Mel Carter's Website
- [ article by Richie Unterberger]