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Mitchell William Miller (born July 4, 1911) is an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive. He was one of the most influential figures in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, both as the head of Artists & Repertoire at Columbia Records and as a best-selling recording artist.
Sing Along with Mitch In the 1960s Miller became a household name with his television show Sing Along with Mitch, a community-sing program featuring him and a male chorale. During the second season of Sing Along with Mitch, Miller himself coined the catchphrase "all smiles." These were preceded by the instructions to "sing along; just follow the bouncing ball" (a large dot that "bounced" above the words that were superimposed on television of the song that Mitch and the chorale were performing). Steve Allen once performed a pointed satire of the show that spoofed the show`s production values, including cameras panning among the vocalists, going out of control and knocking them over, then chasing Allen, made up as Miller, out of the studio. Singer Leslie Uggams, pianist Dick Hyman, and the singing Quinto Sisters were featured on the program. One of the singers in Miller’s chorale, Bob McGrath, went on to a long career as one of the hosts of the PBS children’s television show Sesame Street. Sing Along with Mitch ran on television for four years (1961–1964) before being cancelled, despite the fact that it was at the height of its popularity at the end of its run. The demographics of the show`s audience ran too much toward mature viewers to attract advertisers more interested in targeting the youth market. (The show`s format remained popular in England, where comedian Max Bygraves emceed his own version, "Sing Along with Max.")
Biography Credit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Miller
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