In addition to the voice of Tony the Tiger for Kelloggs, he also appeared onscreen as the Marlboro Man and in various beer commercials. Web. He was also the bass singer on Bobby Vee's 1960 Liberty hit record "Devil or Angel". His voice has been featured in Disney theme park attractions such as the . He is Professor Emeritus of Composition at Vanderbilt University. Its just been a joy to be able to do something that Ive loved, he said. I did the commercials for Gillette during the World Series, and at one point, I had 27 different beer contracts, Ravenscroft said. Tony the Tiger, however, is his cup of tea. . thurl ravenscroft vocal range <br>And what's even cooler is that Geoff mentioned Thurl as one of his biggest bass idols and inspiration. 2:50. He is known for his voice work on Kellogg's Frosted Flakes' animated spokesman Tony the Tiger, and as the uncredited vocalist for "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from the Christmas TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. This production is musically considered acoustic. APA Style Today, Ravenscroft still travels to San Diego five times a year to do new Tony the Tiger commercials, something he said he will never give up. Ravenscroft is also heard with the quartet on some of the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes with Mel Blanc at Warner Bros. as well as on radio "driving Jack Benny crazy" on The Jack Benny Program as part of The Sportsmen Quartet. Ravenscroft semi-retired and did not work at any other studio, but continued to voice Tony the Tiger through 2004 (with limo transportation provided by Kellogg's) and was also interviewed that year by the Disney "Extinct Attractions Club" website. He was a devoted member of the Crystal Cathedral (now called Christ Cathedral) in Orange County, California, and is buried in the cathedrals Memorial Gardens. Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft began his career as a singer at an early age. He was married after only three weeks of meeting June Seamans and remained so for 53 years until her death in 1999. Today, Ravenscroft travels to San Diego five times a year to do new Tony the Tiger commercials, something he said he will never give up. Though the majority of his voice work subsided in 1998, Mr. Ravenscroft . According to the exhaustive website All Things Thurl, Ravenscroft was born February 6, 1914, in Norfolk, NE, relocating to California at age 19 to study interior design at the Otis Art Institute. Named a Disney Legend in 1995, Ravenscroft worked with the company for six decades. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 32 for the week ending January 2, 2021. 27. AzizQuadri10 7 mo. Not a fan of rock n roll, Ravenscroft has nonetheless sung with the King. He was also the uncredited vocalist for the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from the classic Christmas television special, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas![1]. He was still performing Tony the Tiger when he was 90 years old in 2004, being picked up for his recording sessions by a limousine from the Kellogg Company. The man himself was a beloved figure, known for a great sense of humor, gentlemanly courtesy, and a warm personality. Born in 1914, raised in Norfolk, Nebraska, Thurl Ravenscroft served as a navigator in the US Army Air Transport Command in World War II before settling in Hollywood. [citation needed]. . The vocals and instrumental were recorded by Xavier Atencio, Paul Frees, Thurl Ravenscroft, J. Pat O'Malley and The Mellomen, and released 11 years ago on Sunday 1st of January 2012. It was when he attended Norfolk High School that his voice became "The Voice." He was the tenor lead in the school musical his junior year, and the bass lead his senior year. He went on to sing in the chorus on 28 albums by the Johnny Mann Singers and backup on several solo recordings, like Rosemary Clooneys 1954 No. Thurl Ravenscroft ! Ravenscroft boomed as he re-created the role of Tony the Tiger--a role that the 73-year-old has performed in scores of television commercials for Kelloggs for 36 years. According to the exhaustive website All . As a singer, Ravenscroft has seen the music business change completely. As a singer, Ravenscroft has seen the music business change completely. Thurl Ravenscroft - Bass Singer Low Notes Cole Fountain 1.04K subscribers Subscribe 1.1K 71K views 2 years ago You've probably heard this man's voice, and maybe you didn't realize it. At 6 feet 5 inches, he had been deemed too tall to fly a fighter plane. Use facets below to limit or refine search. In Discography of American Historical Recordings. How to learn a song effectively? Thurl Ravenscroft was an American actor and bass singer. . The couple had two children. I was born on the same day Ravenscroft died, May 22, 2005. Jack Benny was a very warm person and a very appreciative person . Credit goes to the respective owners. Ravenscroft did some voice-over work and singing for Disney in both the films and the attractions at Disneyland (which were later featured at Walt Disney World). While the Mellomen never became a household name, the group was quite active for over 30 years, providing backup vocals for such famous artists as Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley . Thurl Ravenscroft was an American voice actor who was best known for singing the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" in Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas! Thurl was an irreplaceable part of Rosemary Clooney's 1954 rendition of "This Ole House", one of the biggest and best hits of the pre-rock 1950's, but fewer folks have heard the original version of the song, recorded the same year by the song's composer, Stuart Hamblen, and featuring Thurl in the same role as on the later hit version. If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Ravenscroft, Thurl - But then, Ravenscrofts entire career, from Tony the Tiger to singing background for Elvis Presley, has been sort of an accident, he said. Years after his early days in business, Ravenscroft still carries himself with the class he said he picked up during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Elvis Presley needed backup singers for (the film Blue Hawaii) and his people called (Ravenscrofts quartet), Ravenscroft said. He achieved early success as part of a singing group called The Mellomen. Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.72.213.153 (talk) 23:26, 8 April 2017 (UTC)Reply[reply], I see this as a nicely written article, but there is one problem: the info box says that he was active until 1998 but the article says that he was active until 2005. He sang on the soundtrack for Ken Clark as "Stewpot" in South Pacific, one of the top-selling albums of the 1950s. We are having dinner in the dining area and about 15 minutes into the meal my grandfather points to a man at another table. URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/339288, LCNAR: Ravenscroft was born on Feb. 6, 1914, in Norfolk. 2008-2023 Regents of the University of California, All Rights Reserved. Ravenscroft went off to a routine recording session in 1966 and sang through a few quick takes of Youre a Mean One, Mr. Grinch for the soundtrack to How the Grinch Stole Christmas and then ran off to another job without thinking much about it, learning only later that it was to become a holiday classic. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2023. We cant wait to hear just how low he will finally go, until he satisfyingly arrives at a pitch even lower than we imagined. I told everyone I knew when I got home. Needless to say, I was very pleased. Thurl Ravenscroft . Thurl Ravenscroft did his share of singing in those kinds of groups, but he made his mark in the movies. . . Matthew Hall - When Christmas Comes to Town ( G2-C4 ) Nat King Cole - Autumn Leaves ( A2-C4 ) Thurl Ravenscroft - You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch ( G2-G3 ) Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) ( B2-C4 ) William McDowell - I Won't Go Back ( A#2-C4 ) He said his lifelong dream was to record the entire Bible on tape, but James Earl Jones "beat him out". [2], In the June 6, 2005, issue of the advertising industry journal Advertising Age, Kellogg's ran an advertisement commemorating Ravenscroft, the headline reading: "Behind every great character is an even greater man." I never went back to school., Calls from stars such as Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, Edgar Bergen, Eddie Cantor and Rudy. the Mellomen (occasionally known as Big John and The Buzzards, The Crackerjacks, The Lee Brothers, and The Ravenscroft Quartet) were a vocal group active for over three . Read Full Biography. Theyre g-r-r-r-eat!! Geekynerdyguy1996 (talk) 17:06, 18 December 2017 (UTC)Reply[reply], This article listed Mr. Ravenscroft in two operatic categories. His voice is incredible. --Jcaxels 20:38, 29 December 2005 (UTC)Reply[reply], I didn't know that Thurl Ravenscroft sang the song until I read the article, which was relatively recently. In 1963, the Mellomen appeared opposite Elvis Presley in It Happened at the World's Fair, and three years later Ravenscroft was cast for the animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a project highlighted by his immortal vocal turn on the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"; he subsequently was cast in Horton Hears a Who, The Cat in the Hat, and The Lorax. The Tony the Tiger commercial has been done for every English-speaking (country) in the world. The list of his many roles also includes spoken and singing voices for many animatronic puppets in theme park attractions. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Ravenscrofts flair for projection and his deep vocal range landed him voice parts in such Disney films as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, 101 Dalmatians Mary Poppins and Jungle Book.. Various record companies, such as Abbott, Coral, Brunswick, and "X" (a division of RCA) also released singles by Ravenscroft, often in duets with little-known female vocalists, in an attempt to turn the bass-voiced veteran into a pop singer. Disneyland Record "All About Dragons", DQ-1301. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. Each additional print is $4.99 Add a PDF download for just $3 more Discography of American Historical Recordings. Ive been very lucky.. I said, "You're Tony the Tiger!" Tony is just a good, wholesome character, Ravenscroft said, trying to explain the success of his interpretation of the cartoon character. Ravenscroft sang bass on Rosemary Clooney's "This Ole House", which went to No. They recorded under a variety of names, including Big John and the Buzzards, the Crackerjacks, the Lee Brothers, and the Ravenscroft Quartet. In honor of his many talented contributions to the company, Thurl Ravenscroft earned the status of Disney Legend in 1995. Don't know your range? Ravenscroft left his native Norfolk, Nebraska, in 1933 for California, where he studied at Otis Art Institute. For Disney, they recorded the themes for the TV hits Davy Crockett, Zorro, The Mickey Mouse Club, and The Wonderful World of Color in addition to appearing on literally hundreds of the studio's children's recordings. As a member of the Mellomen and as a solo gun-for-hire, Ravenscroft backed many of the most successful artists of the 1950s, including Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, and Tennessee Ernie Ford; he is prominently featured on Rosemary Clooney's 1954 classic "This Old House," cut a handful of duets with Roberta Lee and was spotlighted on the Spike Jones & His City Slickers efforts Bottoms Up and Dinner Music for People Who Aren't Very Hungry. He answered, "Yes I am." Golden Girl (The Columbia Recordings 1944-1966) . 2008 Preview Song Time Sweet Genevieve. For more than 50 years, he was the uncredited voice of Tony the Tiger for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. We are having dinner in the dining area and about 15 minutes into the meal my grandfather points to a man at another table. ), Thurl later left to California in his twenties to study at the Otis Art Institute and pursue a life of show business; after being flooded with job requests stemming from his auditioning at Paramount as a . Thurl Ravenscroft's rich voice dipped low and deep as he began to . It was that class that led him away from art school and into show business. He eased into retirement during the 1980s but continued serving as the voice of Tony the Tiger well into the 21st century. Probably best known to television audiences as the voice of Kellogg's Tony the Tiger, a character he played from 1952 until 2005, Thurl was a favorite among Disney vocal performers. . (2023). Go to the song page with a mistake and suggest an edit. 1:59. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Opera,that is yet a few steps lower than the typical lowest note in the basso profundo range. "Ravenscroft, Thurl," accessed April 18, 2023, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/339288. . Send the Editors a message about this record. After his death, Lee Marshall replaced him as the voice of Tony the Tiger in the Kellogg's commercials, but some commercials still recycle clips of Ravenscroft. Returning from the war, Ravenscroft resumed his singing career and began a longtime association with Walt Disney. A native Nebraskan, the 6-foot-5 Ravenscroft said he already had the show-business drive in him when he moved to Los Angeles in 1933 to attend art school and pursue a career in commercial advertising. Date Of Birth: Feb 6, 1914. New songs with Chris Cornell on the way after Soundgarden settles with Vicky Cornell, Blackpink in your area: K-pop supergroup sets Dodger Stadium concert, The actor, the hairstylist and the eye surgeon: Drugs and death in a Malibu beach house, Have guests in town? The Tony the Tiger commercial has been done for every English-speaking (country) in the world, Ravenscroft said, relaxing in his Lawrence Welk Village home. Thurl Ravenscroft - I also edited the song range. Not Hollywood, not L.A., not the country, Waynes World is not the film Penelope Spheeris wants to be remembered for, Love Is Blind snafu. Despite a singing career that spanned from the 1930s to the 1970s, Thurl Ravenscroft is undoubtedly best known for applying his deep, rich vocal skills in a different professional pursuit -- specifically,, Dinner Music for People Who Aren't Very Hungry. Thurl Ravenscroft, who provided the rumbling "They're Grrrrreeeat!" for Kellogg's Tony the Tiger ads and voiced a host of Disney characters, has died. Tapered (talk) 06:04, 24 December 2018 (UTC)Reply[reply]. "Ravenscroft, Thurl." That technically qualifies Ravenscroft for the little-known and lowest subcategory of the bass voice, an oktavist. In later years Ravenscroft backed artists ranging from Jim Nabors to Arlo Guthrie and was an active member of the Johnny Mann Singers. Birth and Death Data: Born February 6, 1914 (Norfolk), Died May 22, 2005 (Fullerton). The songs you star are added to your repertoire page. Ravenscroft, Thurl. Not a fan of rock n roll, Ravenscroft has nonetheless sung with the King. 72.23.147.92 (talk) 13:45, 21 December 2007 (UTC)Reply[reply], In this article it seems to say he had voiced Tony from the beginning until his death,but in the Tony the Tiger article it mentions other people as having voiced him, which is correct? 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