Comin' Home Baby
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
"Comin' Home Baby" (1961) is a song originally written as an instrumental by Ben Tucker and first recorded by the Dave Bailey Quintet in 1961, and shortly thereafter by Herbie Mann. Lyrics were added by Bob Dorough, and the vocal version became a US Top 40 hit for American jazz singer Mel Tormé in 1962. The song has since been covered numerous times.
Original instrumental recordings
The tune was first recorded by the Dave Bailey Quintet on 6 October 1961, and issued on 2 Feet in the Gutter. It was composed by Dave Bailey's bassist, Ben Tucker. The original musicians were Frank Haynes (tenor saxophone), Bill Hardman (trumpet), Billy Gardner (piano), Ben Tucker (bass), and Dave Bailey (drums).
The tune was then recorded six weeks later by Herbie Mann, live at the Village Gate, with Tucker again on bass. Mann's recording, produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and released by Atlantic Records in 1962, became popular and drew wider attention to the tune.
Mel Tormé
Tucker then persuaded his friend, lyricist Bob Dorough (later of Schoolhouse Rock! fame), to write a lyric for the tune, and producer Nesuhi Ertegun persuaded singer Mel Tormé, who had recently joined the Atlantic label, to record it. Tormé was initially reluctant to record the song, and later wrote that: "It was a minor-key blues tune with trite repetitious lyrics and an 'answer' pattern to be sung by the Cookies, a girl trio that had once worked for Ray Charles". The recording took place in New York City on 13 September 1962.
Despite Tormé's reservations, his version of the song, with an arrangement by Claus Ogerman, rose to no.36 on the Billboard pop chart in November 1962, becoming his biggest hit since the early 1950s; it reached no.13 on the UK singles chart. It was also the title track of his album Comin' Home Baby! (with added exclamation mark). Tormé's recording was nominated as Best Male Solo Vocal Performance and Best Rhythm and Blues Performance at the 1963 Grammy Awards.
