Jack Melick
| Jack Melick | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John T. Melick |
| Born | December 21, 1929 |
| Origin | North Plainfield, New Jersey, US |
| Genres | Big band, swing, dance music |
| Occupation(s) | Bandleader, pianist, arranger, musician |
| Instruments | Piano, clarinet |
| Years active | 1943–present |
| Labels | Chaparral Records, Carlton Records (as Jack Melick and The Gamblers) |
| Associated acts | Jim MacGeorge, Miyoshi "Nancy" Umeki, Leo Peeper, Jimmy "Dancing Shoes" Palmer, Freddy Martin, Orrin Tucker, Guy Lombardo, Milton Berle, Betty Grable, Sammy Davis, Jr., Rowan & Martin, Mickey Rooney, Jack Carson, Dick Shawn |
| Website | jackmelick |
John T. "Jack" Melick (born December 21, 1929) is an American bandleader, pianist, and arranger.
Jack Melick was born and raised in North Plainfield, New Jersey. Like most American children of his era, piano lessons were an early part of his education. His mother was a school teacher and his father was an insurance salesman; both recognized his early interest and talent as a musician and encouraged his pursuit of a musical life. He proclaimed his intention to become a band leader at the age of 7, and has spent more than 65 years as an active band leader and pianist. Raised on the Great American Songbook of the 1930s and 1940s, he became immersed in the jazz and big band cultures of his youth.
Among others, his early musical influences included legendary jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Kenton. His career would be most influenced by popular band leaders like Freddy Martin, Harry James, and Orrin Tucker.
Melick formed his first band at the age of 13 and had his first paying gig at the age of 14, playing piano for students at a local dance studio. At the age of 16, fate offered him (and other musicians his age) a unique opportunity to perform publicly as the older, more experienced musicians were in Europe or Asia fighting World War II. He began playing local dance gigs culminating in a summer 1946 engagement at Camp Sagamore (an adult resort) in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. It was an engagement he and his young band would play for the following two summers.
Another primary influence in the direction of his career was a contemporary musician. William John "Bill" Evans was his classmate at North Plainfield High School and a friendly "competitor" for local music jobs during their high school years. A future jazz star and Grammy winner, Evans was usually the first choice to play piano at local proms and social events. Rather than remain constantly in Evans' shadow as a pianist, Melick decided the best route to success on the local scene was to be the "leader of the band" and concentrate on commercial dance music. Some 69 years later, the Jack Melick Orchestra is still going strong.
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