Mel Carter

Like Johnny Mathis before him, Mel Carter specialized in the soft, R&B-influenced pop that would later be known as easy listening. Carter started out on Sam Cooke's SAR label in the early '60s, but by the time he moved to Imperial a few years later, he was already specializing in watered-down Soul and romantic easy listening ballads. In 1965 Carter had a Top-10 smash with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me," a song that would forever remain his highest charting effort, as well as his signature tune.