Thurl Ravenscroft

The name might not ring a bell, but rest assured that, at some point in your life, perhaps even hundreds of times, you have heard the booming baritone voice of Thurl Ravenscroft. From 1940-2005, his voice was heard on television almost daily, and his voice work for the Walt Disney Company, on records, films, and at Disneyland, is legendary. Today, we thought we would take a (partial) look at his amazing career.

So, where might you have heard his voice? Well, perhaps most famously, he was the voice of Tony the Tiger, mascot of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, for five decades.

Ravenscroft also did an enormous amount of work for Disney. His singing quartet, The Mellomen, who had previously worked as background singers for artists such as Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and Rosemary Clooney, worked their vocal magic in such animated classics as Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Lady and the Tramp. And while he has lent his voice to numerous attractions at Disneyland over the years, most memorable is his appearance in The Haunted Mansion graveyard scene, where he and the other Mellomen perform as the unforgettable singing busts.

Last, but certainly not least, Ravenscroft chastised the Grinch in the classic holiday cartoon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with his timeless rendition of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

Keep in mind that these are just some highlights. We could go on and on about Thurl Ravenscroft, who sadly passed away in 2005. His voice, however, will live on forever, thanks to his wonderful body of work. Join us in celebrating the life and career of this celebrated voice artist at Retroland, by sharing your thoughts on his amazing career in our comments section.