HIS COMPLETE BIOGRAPHY!
Here you can find out EVERYTHING about this world-famous Swing Singer ...
Mel Maroon was born as Gabor Razvan Blaga Petrescu on the 31th of October 1924
in Chicago as a son of Transsylvanian immigrants Magdalena and Blaga Petrescu.
THE 1920s: STARTIN’ THE DREAM
Mel grew up in poor circumstances in the 1920s ... Life really was hard, so he had
to watch for himself to get "a piece of the cake": he started as a tap-dancer
at the age of four to earn some money from people crossing by on the streets -
and "what a dancer!" (didn´t lose his talent up to now!).
The first time that a larger audience could hear his unique VOICE was in 1929
at a singers’ competition in the famous "They will be Giants"-Theatre in the centre
of Chicago where he first performed (his later big smash hit) "Lady, you sure
look like we got something going on!" at the age of five!!!
All the people in "They will be Giants"-Theatre that day somehow knew that this
would be the start of an amazing career to follow ...
THE 1930s: DUET WITH ELLA
During the 1930s the public started to call Mel "The Choice" (not to be confused with
"The Voice") or "The Velvet Vocal Chords" or even "The Boy with the Golden Glottis".
By that time young Mel made his first major deal with a record company at the
innocent age of nine! His contract with the famous Jazz label "Swerve Records"
brought him the chance to meet nice "Jazzy Folks" like the young Ella Fitzsimmons
with whom he sang the duet "Where’s my Yellow Basketball?" ...
THE 1940s: MEETING MILES
After having issued not less than 12 albums in the 30s (from "Kind of Green" to
"It’s up to you: Chicago, Chicago") Mel felt that he had to do something new
in his life and - what a luck - along came a talented young trumpet player
called Miles Pavis, a man with certain musical ambitions and the "will to go for it"!
The two guys met by chance one day back in 1947 at a Musical Theatre in
New York called "The Oily Owl" which was a very well known place for Jazz-addicted
at that time ... Mel was already so celebrated that he could effort himself to "stage
dive" at any time or concert he liked (by the way, Mel INVENTED "Stage Diving"!).
On that particular night, just when the concert with his band "The Astonished
Asteroids" was over and the session started to "rock the house" he did his world-
famous "Kangoroo-Dive" again - but this time he missed the audience’s hands:
he jumped right into Miles Pavis´ trumpet! Miles was so shocked that from now on
he had a certain sadness in the way he played the trumpet and Mel joined him for
all-time-favourite recordings like "The sad little Clown in the Roller Coaster"
or "In a sentimental root". "I really fell for you that night, Miles!" Mel once admitted
with a grin in his face in the "David Postman-Show" ...
THE 1950s: AT THE MOVIES
Mel "changed the topic again" because he felt there was "more to it than music":
He became a famous movie star - from the 50s on his audience could now
see him in movie theatres around the world (despite his "ordinary tour circuit").
His first motion picture at Werner Sisters Studios in Hollywood was the remake of
"Casablanco" (with Norwegian actress Inge Bergmann) - a huge success all over
the world (especially in Norway!). Then came several Dracula-movies which gave
Mel the nick name "The frozen Blood Bottle" - especially in Transsylvania hundreds
of fans still admire his talents in movies like "Dracula swings" and "Dracula fights
the Jacob Sisters"!
And don’t forget "High Spoon" - a tragical Western movie about a lonesome
cowboy losing the dishes he loves or "Some like it frozen" from 1959 starring
young Mirinda Monroe ...
THE 1960s: FLOWER POWER WITH FRANK
The 60s were VERY special for Mel, not only because they remain his most
successful decade since now, but also because being his most diversified era:
movies like "Breakfast, lunch and diner at Tiffany´s" with Audrey Hipburn or
the horror movie "Ducks", directed by Alfons Hitchcock! Mel Maroon dit it all:
Pilot, psychoanalist, religious leader (his sect "Mel Maroon Mass Missionaries
was closed after five years because his devotees weren’t willing to do
"sing eight hours a day"!).
In Las Vegas Mel met another quite known entertainer of that time: Frank Sumatra.
Together with another nice guy, Jimmy Davis senior, they did some famous shows
called the "The Rat Brothers" in the Las Vegas Casino "Strands" ...
At the end of the 60s Mel decided once again to let his "spiritual side take over":
he went to India into the Ashram "The Delighted Elephants" to medidate and
to think about his life and further activities ...
THE 1970s: GROOOVY!
... after being completely enlightened in India Mel felt that it was time again to give
"the audience what it deserves"! What came now was a comeback the world didn´t
see before: Shows with Austin Pauers, Elvis Pressel amongst many others were the
"natural result" of his return to the stages of America, Australia, Europe and
of course Transsylvania!
THE 1980s: DALLAS FEVER
More and more TV got a greater influence for the world wide public, and so it seems
quite natural that Mel had to take part in TV series and game shows. After refusing
several offers from "Dallas" he finally said "Yes" and so he dropped in as the
forgotten brother of J.R. Oiling. In episode 1.324 he suddenly appears under
the shower and nobody knows where he’s been before and ... you know the story!
As a quizmaster Mel invented/presented popular shows like the Meteorological
TV-show "Wetter, nass!" or the all time favourite "Top of the Flops", a music show exclusively consisting of his own songs ...
At the end of the decade he made friendship with sveral politicians like Egon
Honegger, Heiner Cole or Michael Gorkitschow which by the way led into a nice
public party at the Berliner Mauer back in November 1989 ...
THE 1990s
Being aware of his political abilities Mel made his way straight to the Gouverneur´s
Office of the the important U.S. state Nebraska (friends like Arnie Schwarzenberger
are still envious on him because of this fact!).
Only because of his Transsylvanian immigrant status in America he wasn´t
allowed to candidate for the president of the United States - but time will tell ...
Despites his political career Mel made no real efforts to continue his musical
challenges, songs of popular artists like Madoner or Robbie Wilhemsen bored him,
and so he asked himself the question: "What happened to SWING?!?"
THE NEW MILLENNIUM
And now ladies and gentlemen, here he is, "back in the saddle again:
Mr. Mel Marooooon!". After a break of more than 12 years he decided that the world
deserves another chance for Premier Swing Music: Fasten your seatbelts!