Robert Mellin
Israel Melnikoff (September 22, 1902 – July 10, 1994), known professionally as Robert Mellin, was a Russian-born American composer, lyricist, and music publisher. Born in Kiev (now Ukraine), he was raised in Chicago, where he began his career as a music plugger at Remick Music. In the early 1940s, he moved to New York, where he established his own company in 1947. In the early 1950s, Mellin moved to Europe, where he wrote music or lyrics for hundreds of songs, including several hits, over the next two decades. His biggest hit was My One and Only Love written with lyricist Guy Wood. It was recorded by many artists, including Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker and (as a duet) John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman. In 1962, Mellin wrote lyrics for Acker Bilk's instrumental Stranger on the Shore, enabling it to be covered by vocal artists. From the mid-1950s onwards, he ran his own music publishing company, Robert Mellin Music, based in London's Tin Pan Alley on Denmark Street. Tony Hatch found his first job there. The company acquired exclusive rights to all film scores coming out of Czechoslovakia and Rumania, as well as many scores from Italy. With Gian-Piero Reverberi, Mellin wrote the theme music for the 1964 TV series The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, which became a hit single, and, in 1966, the score for Don Quijote. He also wrote music for films in the 1960s. Mellin married the songwriter Patricia Rossiter in 1980. He died while on a business trip to Rome at age 91. |
Birth and Death Data: Born (Kyiv (capital and largest city of Ukraine)), Died July 10, 1994
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1952 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, songwriter, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | F4PB-0418 | 10-in. | 1/31/1955 | My own | Gordon Jenkins and his Chorus and Orchestra ; Bob Grabeau | lyricist | ||
| Victor | E4LB-3969 | 10-in. | approximately 1954 | Mary Ann | Hilversum and his Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | E4LB-3972 | 10-in. | approximately 1954 | Ondine | Hilversum and his Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | E4LB-4449 | 10-in. | 8/16/1954 | Missing | Stewart "Rick" Rose | Male vocal solo, with vocal group and instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Victor | E4LB-4451 | 10-in. | 8/16/1954 | How much do I love you? | Stewart "Rick" Rose | songwriter | ||
| Victor | E4LB-5990 | 10-in. | 11/18/1954 | (I'm always hearing) Wedding bells | Frankie Lester | Male vocal solo, with vocal chorus and instrumental ensemble | composer, lyricist | |
| Mercury | 9252 | 10-in. | 1952 | Some folks do some folks don't | Marty Manning Orchestra ; Billy Williams | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Mellin, Robert," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/400460.
Mellin, Robert. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/400460.
"Mellin, Robert." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Mellin, Robert - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2006011359
Wikidata: Robert Mellin - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q15100352
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/254284440
MusicBrainz: Robert Mellin - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b7f37aa6-9962-42dc-a2fc-09b810e2a3bc
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