This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Steve March-Tormé.
Steve March-Tormé will be performing in “An Evening With The Next Generation” on Saturday, November 8th at the M Resort. The next generation includes, in addition to Steve (who is the son of Mel Torme): Ricci Martin, Son of Dean Martin; Lorna Luft, daughter of Judy Garland; and Lena Prima, daughter of Louis Prima. The Master of Ceremonies is Anthony Lewis, son of Jerry Lewis.
March-Tormé was born in New York City to the multi-talented Mel Tormé and the former model, Candy Tockstein. They were divorced when Steve was two and a half years old. Shortly thereafter, Candy married the actor/comedian Hal March, who was the host of NBC-TV’s The $64,000 Question Show and subsequently starred in Neil Simon’s Come Blow Your Horn on Broadway.
An avid baseball player and fan growing up in Westchester County, N.Y., March-Tormé dreamed of playing for the Yankees. While listening to games on the radio in the basement of their home, he discovered his love for music almost by accident. Following every game, he’d switch to the Top 40 music stations and find himself singing along with such artists as The Four Seasons, Nat King Cole, The Temptations, Ricky Nelson and Gene Pitney. With his natural ear for harmonies, his favorites quickly became and remain The Beatles. By the age of 12, he knew that he wanted to be a performer and at 13, he earned his first paycheck, fronting his own band. After his family moved to Beverly Hills, he formed friendships with other second generation “show biz kids” like Desi Arnaz Jr., Dean Martin Jr., Miguel Ferrer, Carrie Fisher and Liza Minnelli while attending high school. During this time, he continued to develop as a musician and his influences grew to include Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Todd Rundgren and Steely Dan.
Following the early death of his stepfather, March-Tormé rekindled his relationship with his father Mel, and soon realized they had a great deal in common besides a love for performing and various types of music. They also shared an avid interest in vintage planes, trains and automobiles.
In the late 1970’s, March-Tormé recorded his first LP, Lucky, for United Artists Records, supporting it with a very well received 20 city, national concert tour. Upon returning to California, he produced and sang on Liza Minnelli’s Columbia Records release Tropical Nights, which became a favorite of the New York dance clubs.
Since then, March-Tormé has wooed audiences in every venue from intimate jazz clubs to Performing Arts Centers to festivals worldwide (Australia, England, Japan, Canada, Brazil, to name a few).