Effective period / Period of releases: 1949 - 1963

Members: Thurl Ravenscroft, Bill Cole (2), Gene Merlino, Bill Lee (4), Bob Stevens, Maxwell Smith (2)

US vocalist group. The Mellomen were a popular singing quartet active from the late 1940s through the mid-1970s. The group was founded by Thurl Ravenscroft and Max Smith in 1948. The Mellomen recorded under a variety of names, including Big John & The Buzzards, The Crackerjacks, The Lee Brothers, and The Ravenscroft Quartet. They were sometimes credited as The Mellowmen, The Mello Men, or The Mellow Men. They sang backup to some of the best-known artists of the day, including Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Arlo Guthrie, Frankie Laine, Peggy Lee, Elvis Presley and Jo Stafford. The group was also enlisted for the first Mickey Mouse Club records, and after Disneyland Records was formed, the group performed on many of the label's albums.