Music Pioneer Mitch Miller Dead at 99

Record exec went on to host karaoke precursor 'Sing Along With Mitch'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 2, 2010 1:34 PM CDT

Mitch Miller's production of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." The musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man, and record company executive died July 31, 2010, at age 99.
(UschisChannel2)

Mitch Miller, the goateed orchestra leader who asked Americans to "Sing Along With Mitch" on television and records, died Saturday at age 99. Miller was a key exec at Columbia Records in the pre-rock 'n' roll era, making hits with singers Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page, Johnny Mathis, and Tony Bennett. Sing Along With Mitch started as a series of records, then became a popular NBC show starting in early 1961. Miller's stiff-armed conducting style and signature goatee became famous.

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. Miller and a chorus had a No. 1 hit in 1955 with "The Yellow Rose of Texas," and that led to his sing-along records a few years later. In recent years, Miller returned to his classical roots, appearing frequently as a guest conductor with symphony orchestras. (More Mitch Miller stories.)

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