Biography
Matty Malneck maintained parallel paths as a violinist and a tunesmith, yet his compositions ultimately proved more enduring. He started performing with dance ensembles at sixteen, most visibly with Paul Whiteman between 1926 and 1937, where he supplied solos on several brisk jazz selections. Although his technique never matched Joe Venuti’s and his tone occasionally slipped into sentimentality, Malneck remained a precise player whose sound carried real feeling. In addition to his extensive work with Whiteman he appeared on dates with Frank Signorelli, Frankie Trumbauer from 1928 to 1931 (including sides with Bix Beiderbecke), Mildred Bailey, and others. By the 1930s he turned increasingly toward songwriting, producing such well-known numbers as “I’ll Never Be the Same,” “I’m Through with Love,” “Goody Goody,” and “Eeny Meeny Miney Mo.” He fronted a large ensemble on scattered occasions from 1938 to 1939 and, in the mid-1940s, led a small group featuring vocalist Liz Tilton that appeared in several film shorts. Malneck also waxed two obscure titles in London in 1932 and fourteen selections for Decca between 1938 and 1939.