Grammy Award Winner Mitch Miller Dies at 99

Grammy Award-winning musician, conductor and television host Mitch Miller died on Saturday, July 30 in New York City at age 99, according to the Associated Press.

Miller was a graduate of the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester and played with many orchestras early in his career. In the 1940s, he became a producer and record executive at Mercury Records and then Columbia Records, where he worked with such singers as Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, and Aretha Franklin over three decades.

He was best known for creating a series of recordings called Sing Along With Mitch, which became a popular NBC show starting in 1961. The show featured a chorus of singers, including future Tony Award winner Leslie Uggams, while viewers were invited to join in with lyrics superimposed on the screen and followed with a bouncing ball. The show lasted until 1963.

After the show’s demise, he worked as a guest conductor with many symphonies, including the Boston Pops, and occasionally worked on film and television projects. In 2000, he was awarded a special Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.

He is survived by his daughter, Margaret.