Pinky Tomlin

Early life and career

Born in 1907 in Eros, Arkansas, Tomlin was the youngest of three sons of Louise (née Dobbs) and G. L. Tomlin. Truman grew up in Durant, Oklahoma; and according to the federal census of 1920, his father was a policeman in that city. That same census also documents that his father was a native of Tennessee; his mother, of Arkansas. Sporting a crop of red hair as a boy, he got his nickname "Pinky" because his fair skin sunburned easily. His early fascination with music and talent for playing the banjo soon earned him a widespread reputation as a performer. By age 16, Pinky was hired to play on a riverboat in St. Louis with Louis Armstrong's band. During that time he also learned to play the guitar, an instrument that later became an important part of his live shows, both at the RKO Roxy Theatre in New York and at the Biltmore Bowl in Hollywood.

"The Object of My Affection"

Tomlin came to national attention in the 1930s due to a song he had written while attending the University of Oklahoma, one he composed for a coed at the school, Joanne Alcorn, whom he would later marry. His original composition was subsequently adapted by Coy Poe and orchestrated and recorded in 1934 by bandleader Jimmie Grier. "The Object of My Affection" became a number-one hit late that year for Grier's Coconut Grove Orchestra, featuring Pinky Tomlin at vocals (Brunswick 7308). Grier, in fact, asked Tomlin himself to introduce the hit song to the public. It was widely recorded by other orchestras and vocalists, although Tomlin's own vocal rendition became the best known and remained the most popular. Ella Fitzgerald, who later became one of Tomlin's lifelong friends, chose to perform "The Object of My Affection" as one of two songs she performed at the age of 17, when she competed in an amateur contest at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem in November 1934.

Tomlin followed the success of "The Object of My Affection" with a string of other hits, including "What's the Reason (I'm Not Pleasin' You?)" and "The Love Bug Will Bite You." Hollywood beckoned, and Tomlin was featured in films for various studios. In 1935 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer offered to groom the young singer and build him up as an actor. Tomlin, however, preferred to concentrate on his musical career, although he did appear in three MGM films released that year: Times Square Lady, Smart Girl, and King Solomon of Broadway. He soon, however, returned to the "big screen," appearing or starring in seven more feature films between 1936 and 1938: Paddy O'Day, Don't Get Personal, With Love and Kisses, Sing While You're Able, Swing It Professor, Thanks for Listening, and Down in 'Arkansaw'. A guest appearance on Eddie Cantor's Texaco Town radio show in June 1937 subsequently led to a regular spot on the program, which Cantor rescinded when his sponsor's publicity man tried to recruit Tomlin as Cantor's replacement. Tomlin met this professional setback by organizing his own swing band in 1938. For more than two years "Pinky Tomlin and His Orchestra" played in theaters, nightclubs, and school proms across most of America, on a whirlwind schedule prepared by the agency. The band was successful, but the constant travel became difficult for Tomlin, as he was devoted to his family. After the tour, apart from a wartime stint with the USO, he confined his appearances to occasional motion pictures and television shows.

Later life and death

After his decision to begin limiting his musical performances, Tomlin pursued his longtime interests in geology. He also took time to found a company in Beverly Hills, "Pinky Tomlin Oil Properties," where he enjoyed working until he retired from that enterprise in 1984. During this time, he had a television show as well in Los Angeles called Music Is My Beat. He continued too to perform periodically at charity events in Los Angeles, being especially active in the Beverly Hills Rotary Club.

On February 27, 1958, Tomlin appeared as a contestant on an episode of the television quiz program You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx. He performed "The Object of My Affection" on that occasion. Fifteen years later, the song was used in the soundtrack of the hit movie Paper Moon and was featured in the film's accompanying soundtrack album (Paramount PAS 1012 [LP]) The song's title was also used for Tomlin's autobiography, The Object of My Affection, which was published in 1981.

Tomlin died in North Hollywood, California, on December 12, 1987; and he was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills. His wife Joanne had died the previous year. Married for 48 years, the couple had two children: Sylvia Tomlin Burns of Edmond, Oklahoma, and Truman Virgil Tomlin, Jr., (Tom) of Valley Village, California.