Mitch Miller: the sing-along maestro

MITCH Miller, who recently passed away aged 99, will be remembered for his sing-along music that featured a chorus of fine singers and an array of American traditional songs.

As a music executive for Columbia Records, he will also be remembered for helping to launch the careers of George Clooney’s aunt, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett and Frankie Laine, to name but a few. A little known fact is he helped singer/actress ‘Pretty Perky’ Peggy King, urging her to do a TV commercial for Hunts Tomato Sauce and the rest, as they say, is history. She appeared on the George Gobel TV show as featured vocalist for a number of years and has turned out some excellent pop-standard CDs and is still active today. As for the downside of Mitch Miller’s career, he teamed Frank Sinatra and Jenny ‘Dagmar’ Lewis to record what is probably the worst single ever turned out for Columbia Records. It was called Mama Will Bark and featured a barking dog (probably an Airdale). That was the absolute low end of Sinatra’s career. We all know about Frank’s amazing comeback.

As for Mitch Miller, his bestselling sing-along albums will continue to entertain lovers of traditional American music and only the good memories of Mitch and the gang will live on. Indeed, he will be missed.

Herb Stark

Division Ave

Massapequa

New York 11758