Mitch Miller

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American oboist, conductor, record producer and record industry executive. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor, and artist and repertoire (A&R) man. Miller was one of the most influential people in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, both as the head of A&R at Columbia Records and as a best-selling recording artist with an NBC television series, Sing Along with Mitch.

Initially airing as a one-shot episode of the NBC television show Startime (season 1, episode 32) on 24 May 1960, Sing Along with Mitch went on to become a weekly series in 1961 as a community sing-along program hosted by Miller and featuring a male chorus. As the popularity of the TV show rose, Miller produced and recorded several "Sing Along with Mitch" record albums.