Passing: Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller, the goateed orchestra leader who asked Americans to Sing Along With Mitch on television and records, has died at age 99.
The TV show ranked in the top 20 for the 1961-62 season, and soon children everywhere were parodying Miller's stiff-armed conducting. An all-male chorus sang old standards, joined by a few female singers, most prominently Leslie Uggams. Viewers were invited to join in with lyrics superimposed on the screen and followed with a bouncing ball.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128932974
The “Sing Along With Mitch” album series, which began in 1958, was an immense success, finding an eager audience among older listeners looking for an alternative to rock ’n’ roll. Mitch Miller and the Gang serenaded them with chestnuts like “Home on the Range,” “That Old Gang of Mine,” “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” and “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.”
When the concept was adapted for television in 1961, with the lyrics appearing at the bottom of the screen, Mr. Miller, with his beaming smile and neatly trimmed mustache and goatee, became a national celebrity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/arts/music/03miller.html?_r=1&hp
Slide Show: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/08/02/arts/music/20100803_MILLER-2.html
Finally, check out this You Tube clip from a Sing Along with Mitch TV program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dY9gtYeHhk
The TV show ranked in the top 20 for the 1961-62 season, and soon children everywhere were parodying Miller's stiff-armed conducting. An all-male chorus sang old standards, joined by a few female singers, most prominently Leslie Uggams. Viewers were invited to join in with lyrics superimposed on the screen and followed with a bouncing ball.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128932974
The “Sing Along With Mitch” album series, which began in 1958, was an immense success, finding an eager audience among older listeners looking for an alternative to rock ’n’ roll. Mitch Miller and the Gang serenaded them with chestnuts like “Home on the Range,” “That Old Gang of Mine,” “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” and “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.”
When the concept was adapted for television in 1961, with the lyrics appearing at the bottom of the screen, Mr. Miller, with his beaming smile and neatly trimmed mustache and goatee, became a national celebrity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/arts/music/03miller.html?_r=1&hp
Slide Show: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/08/02/arts/music/20100803_MILLER-2.html
Finally, check out this You Tube clip from a Sing Along with Mitch TV program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dY9gtYeHhk
posted by eric model | 5:03 PM
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