Mitch Miller - Rest in Peace

Mitch Miller most famous for his series of records titled "Sing Along With Mitch" passed away this morning at 99 years of age. My parents had several of his albums and we got countless hours of enjoyment from his music.

The New York Time obituary for Mr. Miller was pretty interesting. It includes an anecdote regarding him helping local girl Rosemary Clooney get her start:

Ms. Clooney was making a mere $50 a recording session when Mr. Miller asked her to record “Come On-a My House,” an oddity based on an Armenian folk melody written by the playwright and novelist William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian, who later went on to create Alvin and the Chipmunks. Ms. Clooney was dubious. “I damn near fell on the floor,” she recalled.

They had a heated argument. But in the end Ms. Clooney agreed to record the song, and it became a giant hit, establishing her as a major artist. “Nothing happened to me until I met Mitch,” she later said.

The obit also mentioned how Miller's music fell out of favor with the younger generation and was later played by shopping malls to keep teenagers from hanging out and was used by the FBI to try to get the Branch Davidian cult to leave their compound.

Miller is the second famous person born on the 4th of July to die within the past month. George Steinbrenner was also born on that date.

Rest in Peace Mitch.