A brief history of Progressive Rock (1966-1981)

Progressive Rock (Prog or Prog Rock) drew on many musical influences including elements of Classical, Jazz and Folk music. Many credit the Beatles (and George Martin) for starting the movement by playing with the format and makeup of the three minute pop single. By the mid 60s the underground scene in clubs and live performances saw many pop musicians keen to expand their musical prowess. UK luminaries started with skiffle, enjoyed some success in beat groups before moving onto blues. Tired of the constraints of pop they wanted to extend their repertoire by playing more complex music and experimenting with sound. New technologies and more complex techniques for recording sound witnessed a new dawning post Mersey Beat. Groups were using electronic keyboards, flute, saxophone and violi in their line-ups and producers employed the new synthesizers (moog and Mellotron) to produce electronic effects. Greater latitude meant consummate musicians were less constrained and the development of UK Prog Rock was no different to the US Cool School Jazz movement of the 50s. Young musicians were tired of the old genre and keen to progress to the next. Prog Rock borrowed heavily from jazz improvisation and classical orchestration. Progressive rock ran counter to pop as melodies became modal rather than based on the pentatonic scale. This allowed individual pieces to become longer more involving complex chords and chord progressions. Jimi Henrix had used the wah-wah pedal in his solos demonstrating exaggerated pitch, particularly with high bends and use of legato based around the pentatonic scale. He also broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas and was one of the first to experiment with stereophonic and phasing effects for rock recording. In 1966, The Moody Blues released “Days of Future Passed” recorded in stereo and featured a full orchestra and mellatrone synthesizer. The album included “Nights in White Satin single like the album topped the respective charts. At the same time in the US The Mothers of Invention were using avant garde, multilayered song structures and the Byrds had been commercially successful in experimenting with jazz folk crossover. All together the new musical experience appealed to hi-fi enthusiasts, classical fans and fantasists who enjoyed the orchestrations and convoluted lyrics. The full sensual experience of sound suited the psychedelic (Acid) and folk rock moventments with bands like Pink Floyd (with Syd Barrett) and Jethro Tull took full advantage. The formation of Cream with Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce saw another peak in jazz rock fusion and by the beginning of the seventies there were three clear sub-genres of UK Prog Rock. The symphonic movement led by groups like Yes and Genesis. Hard Progresssive championed by King Crimson, Tangerine Dream and Van Der Graaf generator (VDGG); and Cambridge Proressive with bands Caravan, Soft Machine (Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers) and Gong. Cambridge Progressive which featured a synthesis of jazz improvisation, rock rhythms and intellectual songwriting tied to psychedelia. Lyrical themes incorporated fanatasy and social commentry unlike the usual pop motifs. Artwork, packaging and logos became part a major part of Prog Rock presentation. Albums format supported story telling and fantasy with a new order of concept album brought to the fore. These were recorded works which contained songs unified by an elaborate, overarching theme or story. The Pretty Things (S F Sorrow) are credited with the first concept album albeit this was overshadowed by the more popular Tommy Opera by The Who. Rock shows now included elaborate and sometimes flamboyant stage theatrics. Genesis and Hawkwind wore colourful and exotic costumes and elobarate stage sets and effects became norm for bands like Yes. Spectacle was as important as the musci for some and novel antics such as releasing rabbits (Jethro Tull) or doves (Rolling Stones) very much part of the progressive scene. Laser shows and film backdrops or animation were common place at live performances too. In the seventies new sub genres formed including art rock led by bands like Supertramp, Roxy Music and 10CC; Electronic (New Age) rock with TANG and the more symphonic inspired instrumental rock of Mike Olfield (Tubular Bells), Vangelis and Michel Jarre. When bands split-up, members joined other bands and musicians like John Wetton (King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Roxy Music, Asia), Bill Bruford, Steve Howe (Yes, Asia), Carl Palmer (Nice, ELP, Asia) and Steve Hackett among many others played in various prog rock bands. The popularity of Prog Rock dwindled by the end of the decade as Disco and Punk took over. Established progressive bands still had a strong fan base and Rush, Genesis, ELP, Yes, Queen, and Pink Floyd scored Top Ten albums with massive accompanying tours. As a movement Progressive rock served as a key inspiration for many musical genres which would emerge in the decades that followed.






Worth a listen
Jimi Hendrix
Purple Haze (1966)
All along the watchtower (1968)

Moody Blues
Nights in white satin (1966)

The Byrds
Eight miles high (1966)

Cream
Sushine of your love (1968)
Crossroads (1969)

Pink Floyd
See Emily play (1967)

Jethro Tull
Living in the past (1969)

Yes
Time and a word (1969)

Genesis
The silent sun (1968)

King Crimson
21st Century Schizoid Man (1969)

Tangerine Dream
Alpha Centauri (1971)

Van Der Graaf Generator
Afterwards (1969)

Caravan
If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You (1970)

Soft Machine
Joy of a toy (1968)

Nice
America (1968)

Gong
Radio Gnome Prediction (1971)

Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP)
Lucky Man (1971)
Fanfare of the common man (1977)

Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

The man whose music defined a generation.

Thiller unsurpassed brilliance.

In appreciation.

Canned Heat

The band formed in 1965 in Northbridge, California by Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson (bottleneck guitar) and Bob “The Bear” Hite (vocals). The boys were blues fanatics and started a jug band with drummer Frank Cook and they would appear at the odd gig around LA. The boys were dedicated to reviving the Blues and to that extent would compare favourably to John Mayell in the UK. With the addition of Henry Vestine (lead guitar and formerly of the Mothers of Invention) and Brotman Canned Heat were finally formed. Their name came from a Tommy Johnson song entitled "Canned Heat Blues" recorded in 1928. The group honed their craft playing in clubs around LA and perfected a mixture of country blues, modern electrification and driving boogie woogie. The band recorded their first album in 1966 which included two versions of Rollin’ and Tumblin (with and without harmonica), Willie Dixon’s Spoonful, and John Lee Hooker’s Louise. The album was produced by Johnny Otis but did not get released until 1970 under the title Vintage Heat. The credited line up was Hite, Wilson, Cook, Vestine, and Stuart Brotman. Brotman left the band in 1966 and was replaced by Mark Andes (Spirit). Larry Taylor (Moondogs) eventually took over as bass player in 1967 when the band went under the management of Skip Taylor and John Hartmann. The group signed for Liberty Records in the same year and released the single “Rollin’ and Tumblin’" with "Bullfrog Blues" on the B side. Later their label released their first album called Canned Heat, which was made up of re workings of old blues songs. It sold reasonably well. Canned Heat continued to gig and appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and wowed the audience by all accounts. They gained a bit of a “bad boy“ reputation with drug taking allegations and this endeared them more to their fans but did have ramifications behind the scene. Band manager Skip Taylor was forced to obtain the $10,000 bail by selling off Canned Heat's publishing rights to Liberty Records President Al Bennett when they were busted. Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra replaced Frank Cook as they were recording their second album, Boogie with Canned Heat. The album had a more R&B feel and included "On The Road Again" and "Amphetamine Annie" which was rather tongue in cheek but arguably the first “anti-drug” song of the decade. 'On the Road Again' featured Wilson’s clear vocals and exemplary harmonica and became the band's break-out song enjoying worldwide success. Skip Taylor and John Hartmann in keeping with the old blues tradition cristened the band members with nicknames: Bob "The Bear" Hite, Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (and later Harvey "The Snake" Mandel), Larry "The Mole" Taylor and Fito de la Parra. On stage ‘Heat’ were electrifying and performed blues standards as well as their own material. The popularity of the band ensured rock fans were given the full blues treatment. In 1968 they became residents at the Kaleidoscope on Sunset Boulevard east of Vine and played the first annual Newport Pop Festival. The group also toured Europe and the UK in 1968 to promoted their new album "Living the Blues" (1968) which featured "Going Up The Country." The single was another enormous hit worldwide and went to #1 in 25 countries. The next album Hallelujah (1969) was blues-based but within days of its release, Henry Vestine left the group. Harvey Mandel joined the band and they played two dates at the Fillmore before appearing at Woodstock. "Going Up the Country" became the title track in the documentary movie directed by Michael Wadleigh (1970) and the unofficial theme song of the Festival. In 1970 the group released Future Blues with Wilbert Harrison song "Let’s Work Together" the single. Larry Taylor and Harvey Mandel left the band soon after to join John Mayall and Henry Vestine returned to the Heat on guitar, accompanied by bassist Antonio de la Barreda recorded Hooker”N Heat with John Lee Hooker. Before the album was released Alan Wilson died from a drug overdose. Hooker’N Heat became the first album in Hooker's career to make the charts, topping out at #73 in February 1971. John Lee Hooker was a fan of Alan’s harmonica work. Joel Scott Hill, (Moby Grape) was drafted in as replacement and the group continued to tour the world. On the next album, Historical Figures and Ancient Heads was "Rockin’ with the King" which featured Bob Hite and Little Richard. Disagreements among the band members led to unrest and eventually line up changes just as the public’s musical tastes were changing. Canned Heat fortunes started to dwindle and by the time they signed for Atlantic most of the group were battling alcoholism and or drug dependency. Under new management attempts were made to rekindle past glories and in 1981 the album Kings of the Boogie was recorded. During a live performance in April of that year Bob Hite collapsed and was later found dead . The group continued and had a hugely successful tour of Australia in 1982. However discord continued among band members and eventually this led to yet more line up changes. The group has reformed over the decades and toured particularly in Europe but the only two original members are Fito de la Parra and Larry "the Mole" Taylor.






Worth a listen
Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (1967)
Bullfrog Blues (1967)
Going up the Country (1968)
On the Road Again (1968)
Let's Work Together (1970)

Procol Harum

Robin Trower (lead guitarist), Gary Brooker (vocals) and Chris Copping (bass) played in an r &b group called The Paramounts in Southend. The group had a minor hit with a cover version of Leiber and Stollers Poison Ivy in 1964. Despite several attempts to repear their initial success nothing came and the band split in 1966. In 1967 Gary Brooker formed Procol Harum with Keith Reid (poet), Matthew Fisher (Hammond Organ), Ray Royer (guitarist) and David Knights (bass). The group were called after a Burmese cat. A whiter shade of pale was recorded at Olympic Studios, with session drummer Bill Eyden. The single was produced by Denny Cordell, and sound engineer Keith Grant. The single reached #1 on the British charts and #5 in the US in 1967. The group went on the road soon after and openned for Jimi Hendrix on his UK Tour. By the time their second single "Homburg", was released the lineup had changed to include former Paramounts B.J. Wilson on drums and Robin Trower on guitar. Despite releasing some competent works the band were unable to repeat their initial success but did produce the classic album A Salty Dog (1969) which sold well and is still regarded as one of their finest works. Matthew Fisher, who produced this album left the band soon after its release. The group then went through many personnel changes but returned to success on the music charts with a distinctly symphonic rock sound. "Conquistador" was a track from their first album which recharted in the earl 70s when it was given the symphonic rock treatment. More personnel changes came as the group’s appeal started to dwindle as music tastes changed. Their last hit was "Pandora's Box" in 1975 and the band finally broke up in 1977. In the ensuing years the band have reformed many times but sadly BJ Wilson died in 1991. In 1999 the band played an open-air gig with the New London Sinfonia in Guildford, UK and subsequently have continue to give live performances up until 2008. According to the 'Beyond the Pale' web site plans have been announced for a live DVD and a new album in 2009, as well as festival concerts in Norway on 17 July and Finland on 23 July. Procol Harum produced possibly the most unique sound of the 60s with A Whiter Shade of Pale which although it has remained popular in films and public conscience it would prevent the group from progressing beyond the genre. Gary Brooker's melancholy vocal style mixed evocatively with his eclectic piano and Matthew Fisher's elegant, church-like organ was complemented perfectly by C J Wilson's drumming and Robin Trower's searing guitar. Keith Reid’s mystical lyrics have charmed and amused for decades. Their move into progressive rock was mirrored by others whose success unfortunatly over shadowed PH to a greater extent. The band’s name like many of their songs is rather an enigma and often either mis-spett as in Procol Harem or mistakenly thought to mean "Far From (beyond) These Things" in Latin. The correct Latin translation of "beyond these things" is Procul His.





Worth a listen
A Whiter Shade of Pale (1967)
Conquistator (1967)
Salty Dog (1967)
Homburg (1967)
An Old English Dream (1970)
Whiskey Train (1970)
Grand Hotel (1973)
Pandoras Box (1975)

James Taylor

James Taylor was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1948. His father was a wealthy doctor and mother a former opera singer. James was the second of five children and grew up in the university town of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, North Carolina. The family enjoyed playing music and James learned to play the cello as a child. He later mastered the piano. Each summer the family went to Martha's Vineyard, Chilmart where James befriended Danny Kortchmar who played guitar. They both shared an interst in blues and flok music and were soon jamming together. After they won a local hootenanny competition at Martha’s Vineyard the duo now called Jamie & Kootch earned pocket money playing coffeehouses around the Vineyard. Aged 14 James was beginning to write songs which he accompanied himself on guitar. Back at school James was experiencing bouts of anxiety and eventually left boarding school to return home to finish his schooling at a local high school. Soon he joined his brother Alex in a band called The Corsayers (later The Fabulous Corsairs), playing electric guitar. The band made the grade and James skipped school to play. In 1964 they made a record with the B Side a song penned by James entitled “Cha Cha Blues.” Depsite the change of school James’s melancholy continued until he fell into deep depression. He spent the next nine months at the McLean Hospital in Belmont Massachusetts for treatment. In 1966 Danny Kotchmar convinced James to check out of hospital and they moved to Greenwich Village, New York. There they formed Flying Machine with Joel O'Brien (drums) and Zachary Wiesner (bass) and the band performed many of the songs James had written whilst in hospital. Soon the group had a loyal following and were playing at the Night Owl Cafe alongside with The Turtles and Lothar and the Hand People. James Taylor still had issues and became addicted to heroin. The group did go onto record an album but due mainly to bad management eventually they broke up, penniless. Concerned about his health and welfare his father took James back to North Carolina where he underwent rehab. Now recovering six month later and after a throat operation to fix damaged vocal chords James decide to follow a solo career. He moved to London in 1967 and recorded some demos which came to the attention of Apple Records A& R man Peter Asher (formerly Peter and Gordon and brother of Jane Asher). After Paul McCartney gave the thumbs up Apple Records signed James Taylor as the first non UK act. James put together a new band band and wrote some new material including the autobiographical Carolina in my mind. The album James Taylor was recorded in 1968 and featured Paul and George in an uncredited capacity. Unfortunatley James was still leading an unstable life style and fell back into drug abuse. Despite treatment in the UK he eventually returned to New York and committed himself to the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The album met critical acclaim but little else mainly due to the absense of James Taylor to promote his work. Apple Corps at the time were in severe finacncial strife and when Peter Asher resigned he offered to manage Jame Taylor. Now recovered James accepted and started playing live gigs at key clubs and venues until a motorbike accident found him once again laid up. While recovering he continued to write songs and in 1969, signed a new deal with Warner Bros. Records and moved to California. He formed a new band that included Kortchmar and Carole King (piano) and they started on a new album. Sweet Baby James was a classic and blend of sweet melancholy proved an instant success. The single ‘Fire and Rain’ which was a song about his experience in psychiatric institutions and the suicide of his friend, Suzanne Schnerr enters the Billboard charts and peaks at #3. The success of Sweet Baby James would herald the launch of the singer/songwriter movement. Renewed interest in his earlier works saw "Carolina in My Mind," back into the charts. A year later in 1971 he released the up beat Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, featuring Joni Mitchell. Carol King’s You’ve got a friend gave James another international # 1 hit. By the time One Man Dog was released in 1972 arguably his best song writing efforts were on the decline and it took until the release of Gorilla, before he seemed to return to form. The cover version of Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) sang by James and his wife Carly Simon was a massive hit. By the middle of the decade James Taylor sweitched label to Columbia Records and released JT. By this time his style had changed into something smooth, predictable and reassuring. He took a two-year break before reappearing in 1979 with Flag, which featured a Top 40 version of the Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Up on the Roof." Throughout the 80s the singer maintained a body of competent works but these did not quite match the brilliance of his earlier endevours. Despite this he continued to have a large following. By the end of the eighties James Taylor was touring regularly and performing songs from throughout his career. His albums contiuned to sell well and in the process he re-recorded many of his earlier songs. After the millenium change James Taylor became involved with several collaborations as well continued to be visibly active in environmental and liberal causes. He still tours and records.






Worth a listen
Carolina in My Mind (1968)
Fire and Rain (1970)
Sunny Skies (1970)
Country Road (1970)
Sweet Baby James (1970)
You’ve got a friend (1971)
How sweet it is to be loved by you (1975)
Up on the Roof (1979)
Everyday (1985)

A brief history of Cover Versions

In the US the Copyright Act of 1909 gave artists the right to cover other people’s songs provided appropriate dues were paid and credit given to the song writer and publishers. Under the Act composers could not deny anyone a mechanical license for a cover version but did have the right to decide who would release the first recording of a song. Since song writers wanted to give their works the best launch possible then preference was given to more established artists as the principle performer. In the event of a cover version outselling the original neither the priniciple artist or their record company were compensated. Popularity of recorded songs was once measured by the sales success of the published tune and not just the recordings. Later when airplay became a factor the greater the number of cover versions defined the true success of the song. It was common place in the record business music for rival companies to record their version of already successful songs in the hope of cashing in on the tune's success. In the absence of major promotion or advertising record buyers frequently bought the tune and not necessarily sung by the principle artist. In this sense cover versions are defined as a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded and commercially released song. By implication cover versions inferred the orginal rendition were considered the definitive interpretation of the song. In simpler times when distribution was very slow it was common practice for local record companies to rush release cover versions by lesser known acts in order to compete with the original version. This was marked in places like the UK and Australia where the US record company had already released the single in the States but due to distribution delay were unable to simultaneously release the works in other countries. It would also happen in reverse but prior to the English Invasion this was rather the exception. Local talent and smaller record companies took full advantage of the situation and regularly covered hit songs with many artists building successful careers as a result. Early examples in the UK were: Teddy Johnson with his UK hit “Tennessee Waltz.” (1951) which had previously been recorded by Roy Acuff then later popularized by Patti Page and by Les Paul and Mary Ford in 1950; and Jimmy Young with Too Young (1951) which was simultaneously a US hit for Nat King Cole. Often cover versions would compete for chart positon with the originals and it was not uncommon to have the same song by different artists in the charts at the same time. In 1952 this happened with “Tell me why “ with versions by Four Aces and Eddie Fisher in the US Top Five. Later the same year, Eddie Fisher vied with Don Cornell with “I’m yours” in the US Top Five. Until the mid fifties people listened to their favorite artists either playing live or via the radio. Gradually as the average age of record buyers dropped then kids became more insistant they bought the tune played by their favourite artist. This trend was reinforced with the intorduction of record sale charts (Hit Parades). Radio stations stratified popular music into different genres to according to their listening demographic e.g. pop, classic, jazz, r&b and country and western. It was rare for an artist to reach a mass audience and hence different versions of the same song would often appear. In many cases the same record company would release these and promote them through paid for ‘air time’ on commercial stations. Instrumental versions of popular songs were common as the cross cover version where female artists would record songs previously recorded by male artists or visa versa. For example ‘I wanna be loved’ was recorded both by the Andrews Sisters and Billy Eckstine who both enjoyed hits in 1950. Reworking non-English language tunes and lyrics also became a lucrative source for cross over hits such The Happy Wanderer in 1954. Gradually record producers realised the attraction of recording successful songs from ‘race music’ for ostensibly ‘white’ pop consumption. Systematically successful R&B songs were re-recorded by white male artists like Pat Boone and soon attracted large sales. Pat Boone’s versions of Fats Domino’s “Aint that a shame” and Little Richard’s “Tootie Fruitie” among many others outsold the originals but inevitably the mainstream audience wanted to buy and listen to the original versions. This was actively encouraged by DJs such as Alan Freed and Dick Clark and when combined with increased availability of personal record players, portable radios (transisters) and televison this meant greater freedoms for white kids in the US. Artists like Little Richard, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry responded by producing more complex vocals and rhythms all of which added to the rich mix of new wave R&B music. At the same time cross over cover versions from country music had ensured the basis for Rockabilly and together these forged Rock’n’Roll. By the sixties there were more one hit wonders and if they made an album it was often fleshed out with cover versions. The vast majority of which were standards in the style of the particular artist such as Acker Bilk who had a major hit with the instrumental Stranger on the Shore. His subsequent albums would contain his version of particular favourite well known songs. When the sixties beat groups emerged there was a dearth of songwriters in the idiom which meant performers played a stable fare of old rock’n’roll and r&b standards. This included bands like The Beatles who would inevitably include their cover versions of old standards like “Chains,” “Words of Love” and “Matchbox” on their earlier albums. At the same time there was a fertile blues revival in the UK with groups like the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Them and Pretty Things among many others dedicated to the music of R&B from Chicago and the Delta Basin. As part of meterioric rise of the English Invasion the white boy blues bands reinterpreted the original works of T B Walker, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters etc meant their cover versions introduced a completely new generation to blues music. The knock on effect to US garage bands like the Doors et al ensured their early success as well as relaunching the forgotten originals. In the UK from 1954 until 1965 Embassy Records legally made cover (tribute) versions of contemporary pop hits. This were produced and manufactured by Oriole Records and sold through F.W. Woolworth & Co.Ltd. Each single contained two hit songs from the hit parade and their long playing albums (33 rpm) had between ten to twenty tracks. Professional session musicians were engaged to replicate the original songs and the product was offered as a cheaper alternative to the full price recording by the original artists. Many well known musicians worked on Embassy recordings usually under nom de plumes. One popular singer who went onto make his own hits was Tony Christie [I did what I did for Marie (1971) and Is this the way to Amarilla? (1971)]. Embassy cover versions sold in their millions. The popularity of the composers like Lennon and McCartney and Bob Dylan etc meant there was a plethora of cover versions throughout the sixities and beyond. Occassionally new interpretations would however stand so apart from the original versions and make them definitive. “With a little help from my friends’ by Joe Cocker for example is considered to be better than the orignal Beatles recording. Some cover versions had such radically different styles it meant the songs were almost unrecognisable. Joe Feliciano’s version of The Door Light my Fire; or Melanie’s version of the Rolling Stones’ Ruby Tuesday are but two examples. Although artists do continue to reinterpret previously recorded material to popular acclaim the onset of TV adverts and movie scores with a retro flavour have seen many old songs renewed. Indeed some artist like David Bowie, Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart have reinterpreted their own works and re-recorded them. A good example of the this is the popular Unplugged series which present accoustic versions of the original recordings. Paul McCartney has even reinterpred the original mix of Let it be (produced by Phil Sectre) by reproducing it in the album ‘Naked.”

Footnote
As copyrights are beginning to run out on many of the earlier music of the 50s and 60s and companies are releasing bargain basement CDs many are re-recorded (cover versions). These may not always involve the original artists either because they are unavailable, dead or no longer performing. Whilst there is no intention to deceive uninformed consumers might easily confuse them with the original recordings.

Mitch Miller

Mitchell William Miller was born in 1911 in Rochester, NY. He was a child with a natural aptitude for music and learned to play at piano aged six by age 12 he had mastered the oboe. A graduate of the prestigious Eastman School of Music he joined CBS Symphony Orchestra at the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) radio network in 1932 as a soloist. From the beginning Mitch moon lighted working as a session soloist with RCA Victor and recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski. Once the American Record Company was acquired and renamed Columbia Records (1939) Mitch appeared on many recordings including the Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra and the Budapest String Quartet. He also featured on the earliest recordings of the music of composer Alec Wilder and later was the soloist on a Columbia Masterworks release of the Mozart Oboe Concerto. He joined Mercury Records and produced the Fine Art Quartet before becoming the head of (Artists and Repertoire) (A&R) for the label's pop music division. In the early 50s he signed artists like Frankie Laine and Patti Page and produced many hits. Mitch continued his own musical career by recording as a guest soloist on many classical records including the album, Charlie Parker with Strings. In 1950 Mitch Miller moved back to Columbia as the head of their A&R and had an ear for commercial sounds. Mitch enjoyed light pop tunes and favoured overdubbing on many recordings. He recorded many novelty records usually with well established stars including Rosemary Clooney and Frank Sinatra. Whilst they were not always happy with the exercise many songs went to become massive hits. Frank Sinatra has been a superstar in the 40s popular with the bobby soxers but by the early 50s his appeal was beginning to fade until Mitch produced the Sing and Dance with (Frank) Sinatra LP. The album had eight tracks including You do something to me and Lover; the re-issue contained 18 tracks including All of me. Most of the tracks were arranged and conducted by George Siravo and his orchestra and because Frank’s voice was beginning to fail, Mitch enhanced the recording by overdubbing his vocals. The original pressing contained "rhythm numbers," whereas the re-issue contained beat-driven, swinging tracks which were more in tune with contemporary Sinatra. Sing and Dance with (Frank) Sinatra was the last album did with Capitol. The relationship between producer and singer was always tenuous and neither shared the others’ preferred studio protocols i.e. Sinatra liked to record with live musicians whereas Mitch preferred to pre-record and overdub. In 1951, when Frank Sinatra was unwilling to record a couple of songs, Mitch Miller substituted a singer called Al Cernick who recorded "My Heart Cries for You" and "The Roving Kind." He renamed the sign Guy Mitchell and both singles went on to become big hits. In the same year reluctantly Frank was coerced into single a comedy song with a young actress called Dagmar. The unlikely pairing came when Miller got the impression the two had chemistry after seeing them perform together on a Sinatra TV show. ‘Mama will bark’ with Dagmar who singing out of tune went on to become a big hit but soon after Sinatra left Columbia and signed for Capitol Records. Doris Day had already established herself as a singer with Columbia but under the wing of Mitch Miller she became a pop music institution. Other acts to benefit from his inspired genius were Frankie Laine and Tony Bennett. He also discovered Mahalia Jackson, Jerry Vale, Rosemary Clooney, the Four Lads, Johnny Mathis, and the nabob of song himself, Johnnie Ray. At the same time Mitch Miller continued with his own recording career as both a pop artist and conductor. Under the label "Mitch Miller and His Gang" he had a big success with the Israeli folk song "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena." The group followed this up with hit versions of "The Yellow Rose of Texas," (which knocked Bill Halley and the Comet’s Rock around the clock off the Number position in the US charts) and the "Colonel Bogey March" from movie The Bridge on the River Kwai. Mitch Miller and the Gang chalked up 19 Top 40 hits between 1958 and 1962. Mitch was offered a television series by CBS (a subsidiary of Columbia) which was called Sing Along with Mitch and featured popular classics given the Mitch Miller treatment. Mitch Miller’s greatest forte was as a producer who excelled at pop cover versions and in particular matching these to appropriate singers. He had first shown this innate ability by getting Patti Page to record an R &B song called "Tennessee Waltz," back at Mercury. At that time in the music business there were clear divisions between genre and race music, crossing over songs was a novelty but fertile ground which proved both popular and lucrative. Frankie Laine recorded a cover version of "High Noon," which was released three weeks before the official version by Tex Ritter (this appears on the movie soundtrack). The Laine rendition produced by Mitch Miller proved the more popular version. More success came with crossover pop hits such as Tony Bennett’s cover of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart"; Jo Stafford’s big hit with "Jambalaya" and Guy Mitchell’s version of Marty Robbins’ "Singin' the Blues." Mitch disliked Rock’n’Roll and preferred American folk music. The Easy Riders trio were signed to Columbia sang catchy folk-based harmony songs which resulted in the major hit in 1957 with "Marianne." He later signed the New Christie Minstrels whose repertoire helped cement the old American folk songs made popular by The Weavers and the new emerging folk revival movement of Bob Dylan and co. Throughout the early 60s Mitch continued to be a successful producer working important artists including Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, and Jimmy Boyd. He also helped direct the careers of artists who were already signed to the label such as Dinah Shore among many others. As the decade progressed and music tastes changed Columbia ‘s market share was slowly was undercut. In 1965 Mitch Miller left Columbia and Sing Along with Mitch was cancelled a year later. To all intent and purposes Mitch disappeared from the music scene although he has done several things since. In 1987, Mitch Miller conducted the London Symphony Orchestra with pianist David Golub in a well-received recording of Gershwin's "An American in Paris," "Rhapsody in Blue," and "Concerto in F." Now long retired he lives in New York in the full knowledge his contribution to 1950s pop music has no equal.





Worth a listen
Frankie Laine
Mule Train (1949)
Jezebel (1951)
High Noon (1952)
I believe (1953)

Mitch Miller and the Gang
Tzena, Tzena, Tzena (1950)
The Yellow Rose of Texas (1955)
The River Kwai March (1957)
Colonel Bogey March (1957)
Major Dundee March (1965)

Frank Sinatra
You do something to me (1950)
Lover (1950)

Patti Page
Tennessee Waltz (1950)

Dinah Shore
Dear hearts and gentle people (1950)

Doris Day
Bewitched (1950)
Secret Love (1954)
Que sera sera (1956)

Rosemary Clooney
Come on-a My House (1951)

Johnnie Ray
Cry (1951)
Such a night (1954)
Hey there (1955)
Just a walking in the rain (1956)

Tony Bennett
Because of you (1951)
Stranger in Paradise (1953)

Guy Mitchell
She wears red feathers (1953)
Singing the Blues (1956)
Heartaches by the number (1959)

Marty Robbins
A White Sport Coat (and a Pink Carnation) (1957)

Johnny Mathis
It’s not for me to say (1957)