Mitchell Torok

Vocation

American country music singer, songwriter, artist, author and guitarist, best known for his 1953 hit, "Caribbean." After the death of his idol Hank Williams in 1953, Torok was inspired to write the happy-go-lucky song "Mexican Joe” which became a number one hit for Jim Reeves. Torok soon wrote his own number one hit "Caribbean" which remained on the country chart for 24 weeks. In 1956, he had Top Ten success on the UK Singles Chart with his songs "When Mexico Gave Up The Rhumba" and "Red Light, Green Light,” leading to a four month 1956 tour of the British Isles. Torok’s songs have been recorded by Skeeter Davis, Kitty Wells, Hank Snow, Willie Nelson, Barbara Eden, Glen Campbell, Dean Martin and Clint Eastwood, who sang Torok's song "No Sweeter Cheater than You" in the film Honky Tonk Man. Combining his art and music, Mitchell was commissioned to paint a huge, 110 foot mural titled "The History of the Grand Ol' Opry" displayed in the famous old Ryman Auditorium until it was remodeled for live performances. His famous "ELVIS-A-RAMA," consisting of a 12-ft. high, 125 ft. long mural with a 22-minute light and music show depicting Presley’s life, has been signed by over 50,000 fans. Link to Wikipedia biography