Pinky Tomlin

Truman "Pinky" Tomlin (September 9, 1907 – December 12, 1987) was a singer, songwriter, and bandleader of the 1930s and 1940s. He also acted in occasional motion pictures. He wrote and published 22 songs, several of which were in the top ten on the "Hit Parade". In 1938, a song he had written, titled "In Ole Oklahoma", was named as Oklahoma’s state song by the Oklahoma State Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Born in Eros, Arkansas, Tomlin grew up in Durant, Oklahoma. He was nicknamed Pinky because his red hair and fair complexion sunburned easily. A boyhood fascination with music soon gave him a widespread reputation as a banjoist and, at age 16 he was hired to play on a riverboat in St. Louis, with the Louis Armstrong band. During that time, Pinky learned to play the guitar, which later became an important part of his live shows, both at the Roxy Theatre in New York and at the Biltmore Bowl in Hollywood.

Pinky Tomlin appeared as a contestant on the 27 February 1958 episode of the TV quiz program You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx. He performed "The Object of My Affection".

He came to national attention while attending the University of Oklahoma. He submitted his original composition, co written in 1934 by Coy Poe to Jimmy Grier. "The Object of My Affection" became a No. 1 hit late that year for Jimmie Grier's Coconut Grove Orchestra, featuring Pinky Tomlin's vocal (Brunswick 7308)., and Jimmie Grier, asked Tomlin himself to introduce it to the public. Tomlin had written the song for O.U. coed Joanne Alcorn of Ponca City, Oklahoma, whom he would later marry.

"Object" became a huge hit. It was recorded widely by orchestras and vocalists, but Tomlin's own vocal rendition became the best known. Ella Fitzgerald chose to sing it at her first "tryout" at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Pinky and Ella became lifelong friends.

Tomlin followed the song with a string of successful songs, including "What's the Reason (I'm Not Pleasin' You?)" and "The Love Bug Will Bite You." Hollywood beckoned, and Tomlin was featured in several films for various studios. In 1935 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer offered to groom the young singer and build him up as an actor, but Tomlin preferred to concentrate on his musical career. Tomlin did star in four musical features for Melody Pictures in 1937-38; he also wrote the scores. These films were ambitious, despite their low budgets, and one of them even premiered at the prestigious Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

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