Conductor Mitch Miller dies at age 99

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Mitch Miller, the goateed orchestra leader who asked Americans to "Sing Along With Mitch" on television and records, has died at age 99.

His daughter, Margaret Miller Reuther, said Monday that Miller died Saturday in Lenox Hill Hospital after a short illness.

Miller was a key record executive 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."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7f3K83nbpMwytZUUASFHhiNajzgD9HBGGDG0

[Hello_Kitty]

1. RIP Mitch. eom

[SpiralHawk]

2. Let's all sing along with Mitch

Follow the bouncing ball...and R.I.P., Mitch.

[Not Me]

16. Follow the bouncing ball...

He should have sued for rights to karoake machines :)

Good for him...he live a full life.

[Morning Dew]

3. Awwww.

I loved singing along with Mitch when I was little. It was a whole family activity ... except my dad... he'd sleep through most any TV show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dY9gtYeHhk

RIP, Mitch, thanks for the fun times.

[whathehell]

8. Me too.....we used to watch him every Friday night. n/t

[hfojvt]

4. wow, I thought he died a long time ago

we used to sing his Christmas album every year as kids. Way back in the 1970s when we had to operate the record player with a crank and our only light was from kerosene lanterns.

[niyad]

5. RIP, Mitch--you brought a lot of joy to a lot of people

(I had no idea he was still alive-99 WOW)

[damntexdem]

6. I had no idea that he was still alive.

Follow the bouncing ball and sing along.

[blondeatlast]

7. I used to watch his show at Erber's (my name for gramma). RIP--

you brightened my very young life, Mitch.

[valerief]

9. I used to sing along to his albums when I was a kid. Wow 99. Nice stretch. nt

[Sebastian Doyle]

10. My parents still drag out his godawful Christmas albums every year

So I'm sure they will be sad to hear this news. I honestly thought he died a long time ago. :shrug:

[EFerrari]

21. We had some of his albums before the adults in the house were even fluent

in English.

lol

I learned a bunch of songs that way. :)

[upi402]

11. Wow, I haven't thought of him since he was about 69. n/t

[Booster]

12. Thanks, Mitch. RIP

[joeybee12]

13. RIP, Mr. Miller

:cry:

[Brother Buzz]

14. More proof conductors live longer than nearly any other group of people

Never a fan, but kudos to him for his lifetime achievement.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

15. "Follow the Bouncing Ball..."

Let's All Sing like the birdies sing.... Tweet - tweet -tweet -tweet -tweeeeeeeeeet

Thanks, Mitch.

[DFW]

17. I remember him

The "sing-along" titles were the inspiration for The Freedom Toast's CDS a couple of years ago.

RIP to Mitch and his era of music.

[MineralMan]

18. Aw, heck...

I'm going to dig out my album of Mitch Miller playing the Mozart Oboe Concerto and stick it on the turntable, right now. He was a decent oboist, too, although not a world class one.

[mikeSchmuckabee]

19. How sad

He was a bit before my time, but his Christmas album was a staple in our house. Great all around traditional Christmas album.

[myrna minx]

20. Awww- rest in peace. n/t

[Kat45]

22. Hadn't thought of him in years. Didn't know he was still alive.

RIP Mitch.

[Spike89]

23. Mitch launched my "comic trickery" according to my Mom

The story goes she overheard me say "Son of a bitch!" as a 4 or 5 year old and she came storming into the room and demanded to know what I'd just said. I replied "sing along with mitch?" Evidently I did a pitiful job of selling my revised version, but she was laughing too much to punish me. It became a catch phrase in our family whenever someone unleashed a profanity.

[Festivito]

24. At home on a cloud with an angel choir and a bouncing beach ball.

Deserved.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

25. He couldn't stand the Beatles. Nuff said.

:shrug:


Along with Chet Huntley, Billy Graham and other white male authority figures who said the Beatles were a 'symptom of the age, and wouldn't last'.