George Melly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Melly
Melly, circa 1978
Background information
Birth name	Alan George Heywood Melly
Born	(1926-08-17)17 August 1926 Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Died	5 July 2007(2007-07-05) (aged 80) London, England
Genres	Jazz blues
Occupation(s)	Lecturer critic writer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1946–2007
Labels	WSM
Associated acts	John Chilton's Feetwarmers Digby Fairweather Band

Alan George Heywood Melly (born August 17, 1926 – died July 5, 2007) was a talented English singer who loved jazz and blues music. He was also a critic, writer, and lecturer. For several years, he wrote about films and TV for The Observer newspaper. He also taught about art history, especially about a style called surrealism.

Early Life and Education

George Melly was born in Liverpool, England. He was the oldest of three children. His mother was Jewish. George Melly was related to an earlier politician named George Melly. He was also related to a kind person who helped others, Emma Holt.

Melly went to Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. There, he found his passion for modern art, jazz, and blues music.

He was an atheist, meaning he did not believe in God. In an interview, Melly said he was not worried about death. He felt he had done many things in his life.

Surrealist Art and Navy Days

Melly once shared that a special experience from his teenage years might have led him to surrealism. He often visited the Palm House in Sefton Park near his home. There, he talked to soldiers who were recovering from injuries. Seeing these men, who were often missing a limb, smoking among exotic plants, felt strange and unusual to him. He later recognized this feeling in surrealist art.

He joined the Royal Navy at the end of World War II. He joked that he joined because the uniforms looked nice. However, he was disappointed not to get the "bell-bottom" uniform he wanted. Instead, he worked at a desk. Later, he did go to sea but did not fight in battles. He almost got into trouble for sharing certain writings.

Post-War Career in Music and Writing

After the war, Melly worked in a surrealist art gallery in London. He then started working in the jazz world. He joined Mick Mulligan's Magnolia Jazz Band. This was a time when New Orleans style jazz was very popular in Britain.

Nuts (album cover) by George Melly & The Feetwarmers

From 1956 to 1971, he wrote for a newspaper cartoon strip called Flook. In 1962, he stopped singing jazz for a while. He became a film critic for The Observer. He also helped write the movie Smashing Time in 1967.

Melly returned to jazz in the early 1970s. He performed with John Chilton's Feetwarmers until 2003. Later, he sang with Digby Fairweather's band. He released several albums in the 1970s, including Nuts in 1972. He also wrote a fun column called Mellymobile for Punch magazine, describing his tours.

He was a supporter of groups that promote humanism and secularism. He was also a fan of the comedian Max Miller. In 2005, he helped unveil a statue of Miller in Brighton.

His singing style, especially for the blues, was greatly influenced by his favorite singer, Bessie Smith. In 1978, he recorded a song called "Old Codger" with the band The Stranglers.

George Melly married twice and had a child from each marriage. He and his second wife, Diana Moynihan, lived in Camden Town, London. Diana wrote a book in 2005 about their life together.

Life in Brecon

George and Diana Melly had a country home in Brecon Beacons, Wales. They lived there from 1971 to 1999. This was a place where Melly could relax and enjoy his love for fishing in the River Usk.

Jazz music also followed him to Wales. He performed many famous shows in the area. In 1984, the Brecon Jazz Festival started. Melly was the first musician hired for the festival. He continued to support it until he died. He was a big reason for the festival's success and was its president in 1991.

Melly also collected surrealist art. He loved it throughout his life. He gave many talks and wrote a lot about this art style.

His love for fly-fishing never faded. Later in life, he sold some important paintings to buy land by the River Usk. In 2000, he published a book about fly-fishing called Hooked!.

Later Years and Passing

Melly continued to be active in music, writing, and lecturing until he passed away. This was despite having health problems like memory issues and breathing difficulties. He often joked about his health. He found some parts of his deafness enjoyable, saying it made boring talks more interesting.

On June 10, 2007, Melly gave what was announced as his final performance. It was at the 100 Club in London. This event helped raise money for the people who cared for him.

George Melly passed away at his London home on July 5, 2007, at the age of 80. His funeral was held in Kensal Green. A jazz band led the hearse, playing a New Orleans funeral march. His coffin was covered with old photos and drawings by his friends.

In 2008, a TV show called George Melly's Last Stand was broadcast. It showed an inside look at Melly's final months. His sister, Andrée Melly, was an actress. In 2018, a documentary about Melly called The Certainty of Hazard was made. It featured his wife Diana and son Tom.

Books About George Melly

• Take a Girl Like Me (written by his wife, Diana Melly, 2005)
• Hot Jazz, Warm Feet (written by his long-time friend John Chilton, 2007)
• On the Road with George Melly (written by Digby Fairweather, 2013)
• The Life and Work of George Melly (written by Chris Wade, 2018)

Selected Music Recordings

Singles

• "Rock Island Line" (1951)
• "Frankie and Johnny" (1952)
• "Kitchen Man" (1952)
• "Kingdom Coming" (1956)
• "Jenny's Ball" (1956)
• "Waiting For a Train" (1956)
• "Heebie Jeebies" (1956)
• "Black Bottom" (1957)
• "Abdul Abulbul Amir" (1959)
• "Ise a Muggin'" (1960)
• "Monkey and the Baboon" (1963)
• "Nuts" (1973)
• "Good Time George" (1974)
• "Billy Fisher" (1974)
• "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1975)
• "I Long To Get It On Down" (1975)
• "Pennies from Heaven" (1976)
• "Makin' Whoopee" (1983)
• "Masculine Women, Feminine Men" (1984)
• "Hometown" (1986)
• "Anything Goes" (1988)

Extended Play Albums (EPs)

• George Melly (1956)
• George Melly Sings Doom (1956)
• Nothing Personal. George Melly Sings The Blues (1958)
• George Melly Sings Songs Of Frank Crumit (1959)
• The Psychological Significance Of Animal Symbolism In American Negro Folk Music And All That Jazz (1961)

Long Play Albums (LPs)

• Nothing Personal (1958)
• Meet Mick Mulligan (1959)
• Nuts (1972)
• Son of Nuts (1973)
• It's George (1974)
• Melly Is At It Again (1976)
• Melly Sings Hoagy (1978)
• George Melly Sings Fats Waller (1979)
• Let's Do It (1980)
• Like Sherry Wine (1981)
• Makin' Whoopie (1982)
• The Many Moods of Melly (1984)
• Running Wild (1986)
• Anything Goes (1988)
• Puttin' On the Ritz (1990)

CD Albums

• The Many Moods of Melly (1984)
• Running Wild (1986)
• Anything Goes (1988)
• Puttin' On the Ritz (1990)
• Frankie and Johnny (1992)
• Best of Live (1995)
• Anything Goes (1996)
• Singing and Swinging the Blues (2003)
• The Ultimate Melly (2006)
• Farewell Blues (2007)

See also

In Spanish: George Melly para niños