B6 MITCH MILLER, 99 Conductor, host of TV’s ‘Sing Along With Mitch’ by Matt Schudel


Mitch Miller, a musician and record-company executive who became one of the 20th century’s most influential forces in popular music as the producer who launched the recording careers of singers Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis and Patti Page, died July 31 at a hospital in New York of undisclosed causes. He was 99. Mr. Miller was a talented con-


ductor and oboist who became a recording star in the 1950s and 1960s with dozens of defiantly backward-looking “sing-along” albums that sold millions of cop- ies. As the host of a popular tele- vision show in the early 1960s, “Sing Along With Mitch,” he has been credited by some with being the inventor of karaoke. He made his greatest mark as a behind-the-scenes producer for the Mercury and Columbia rec- ord companies from the late 1940s to the 1960s, helping create the sound of popular music be- tween World War II and the Bea- tles-led British invasion. With a deep antipathy for rock-and-roll — he turned down Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly for contracts with Columbia — Mr. Miller pre- ferred an older style of pop music based on jazz and the classics. For years, it wasn’t unusual for half the country’s top 10 hits to have come from Mr. Miller’s stu- dio, including Page’s “Tennessee Waltz,” Frankie Laine’s “Mule Train,” Doris Day’s “Secret Love” and Johnnie Ray’s “Cry.” He brought country music into the pop mainstream with new re- cordings of Hank Williams’s “Cold, Cold Heart” and “Jamba- laya” by Bennett and Jo Stafford, respectively. He refashioned clas- sical music and international folk tunes into pop hits, expanded the studio practice of overdubbing and helped make “novelty” tunes, with nonsensical lyrics and tricky musical effects, a pop-music sta- ple. (His 1952 recording of 13- year-old Jimmy Boyd singing “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” for example, sold 2mil- lion copies.) “You’ve got to work out a gim- mick that’ll get people’s attention and hold it,” Mr. Miller told Time magazine.


When he became Columbia’s head of the popular music in 1950, the label was fourth in rec- ord sales. Sales jumped 60 per- cent within 18 months, and Mr. Miller’s golden touch made Co- lumbia the most important pop music label of the era. He supervised recording ses- sions at Columbia’s studios in New York and Hollywood and coached singers “down to the last breath,” as he put it, even though many of them resented what they considered his overbearing man- ner.


When he brought Clooney to Columbia in 1951, she was a little- known band singer. For weeks, she resisted his entreaties to rec- ord “Come on-a My House,” based on an Armenian folk song, but when Mr. Miller finally persuad- ed her, his hitmaking instincts again proved unerring. While lis- tening to the song being replayed in studio, he leapt on a chair and declared, “I’ll get them to ship 100,000 of these out in three days.” In fact, “Come on-a My House” sold more than 1million


JOHNT.DAVIS


We miss your loving voice.We miss your way of understanding us when there is a problem.We miss you as husband and father, but we know you are in a better place and that you are happy with the Lord. Love, Lena, Gwen, and Tanya Davis


DRYSDALE DAVID L. DRYSDALE


August 3, 1962 September 23, 2009 Happy Birthday !


Momand Jeff HOLMES


S OBITUARIES


KLMNO


INMEMORIAM DAVIS


TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2010 DEATHNOTICE BROWN


RUCKER "LOUIS" BROWN,JR.


Passed on Saturday, July 24, 2010, "Lou" Brown of Arlington, VA of lung cancer. He was born in Washington, DC. He was the beloved husband of Rita Taffinder Brown; father of Charmaine McVicker and Matthew Brown; grandfather of Cathryn Brown McVicker, Alexander Mark McVicker and Brian Louis McVicker. He served with 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st SF during the Vietnam War. He retired from The Washington Post where was he was the first Advertising Quality Assurance Manager. Privates services will be held in Steamboat Rock, Iowa at a later date.


BURGESS FRANK J. BURGESS


On Sunday, August 1, 2010 of Gaithersburg, MD. Beloved husband of Geraldine A. Burgess; loving father of Miriam Burgess. Mr. Burgess was predeceased by his sisters Clare Hender- son and Helen Humphreys. Friends will be received at PUMPHREY’S COLONIAL FUNERAL HOME, 300 West Montgomery Avenue (Rte. 28, exit 6-A just off I-270), Rockville, MD on Wednesday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, 9200 Kentsdale Drive, Potomac, MD on Thursday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery, Glen Burnie, MD. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Mount St. Joseph High School, 4403 FrederickAvenue, Baltimore, MD 21229. Please view and sign family guestbook at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com


BURNHAM MILDRED LOUISE BURNHAM RICHARD DREW/ASSOCIATED PRESS


Mitch Miller in 1981 with singers Rosemary Clooney, left, and Irene Cara during rehearsals in New York for an NBC television special, “The Mitch Miller Show: A Sing Along Sampler.”


copies and made Clooney an overnight star. Similarly, Bennett — who had already scored No. 1 hits with “Because of You” and “Cold, Cold Heart” — was reluctant to record “Rags to Riches” in 1953, but it, too, soared to No. 1. Finally, they agreed that for every two songs selected by Mr. Miller, Bennett could pick two of his own. Ben- nett would later call Mr. Miller “perhaps the single most influ- ential producer in the history of recording.”


Tiff with Sinatra


Not every performer was as forgiving, however. When Frank Sinatra was with Columbia in the early 1950s, Mr. Miller asked him to record the novelty song “Mama Will Bark” with buxom actress Dagmar. In the background, someone imitates a howling hound, and Sinatra says, “Hot dog, woof!” Even though the flip side con- tained one of Sinatra’s greatest songs ever, “I’m a Fool to Want You,” Sinatra soon left Columbia and never forgot the humiliation of “Mama Will Bark.” Years later, when their paths crossed at a Las Vegas hotel, Mr. Miller extended his hand to greet Sinatra. “[Expletive] you!” the singer snarled. “Keep walking.” To this day, Mr. Miller remains a frequent target of music aficio- nados who maintain that he low- ered the standards of pop music and turned it into a wasteland. “Miller exemplified the worst in American pop,” critic Will Friedwald wrote in the book “Jazz Singing: America’s Great Voices From Bessie Smith to Bebop and Beyond.” “He first aroused the ire of intelligent listeners by trying to turn . . . great artists like Si- natra, Clooney, and Tony Bennett into hacks. Miller chose the worst songs and put together the worst backings imaginable . . . with in- sight, forethought, careful plan- ning, and perverted brilliance.” Although he made a fortune for Columbia, Mr. Miller never hid his contempt for the records he made.


“I wouldn’t buy that stuff for


myself,” he said in 1951. “There’s no real artistic satisfaction in this job. I satisfy my musical ego else-


STEPHEN N. ABRAMS, 67 Md. school board member had no trouble speaking his mind by Daniel de Vise


Stephen N. Abrams, 67, a color- ful politician whose candid, occa- sionally blunt observations enliv- ened Montgomery County school board meetings over two dec- ades, died Aug. 1 at a Potomac nursing home. He had a brain tu- mor. Mr. Abrams, a lawyer by train-


ing, served throughout the 1980s on the Rockville City Council, then jumped to the county school board, convinced that the Mont- gomery schools brand was key to the county’s future. He served three terms on the school board, from 1992 to 1996, 1998 to 2002 and 2004 to 2008. Over the past decade, he helped enact educational reforms that enhanced the national reputa- tion of the county school system. He worked side-by-side with Su- perintendent Jerry D. Weast, and his support was partly responsi- ble for Weast’s enduring success in the job. In public life, Mr. Abrams was equally well known for rhetorical duels on the dais. He feuded with some school board colleagues, spawning moments of spectacle on the otherwise collegial panel.


the stairwell incident.) In 2007, Mr. Abrams voted against a teachers’ contract that guaranteed three consecutive raises of 5 percent each. He saw a downturn coming and told his colleagues, “I won’t vote for a contract that I don’t believe we legitimately can fund.” Mr. Abrams lost his seat the


PRESTON KERES/THE WASHINGTON POST


Stephen Abrams served three terms on the Montgomery County school board.


In 2006, he and a fellow Repub- lican had a highly publicized con- frontation in a stairwell. This fed his reputation in local govern- ment for a sharp tongue. His well-honed rhetorical


skills, coupled with his political identity as a fiscally savvy Repub- lican in a county filled with liber- al Democrats, guaranteed fire- works whenever he entered a room. He could reduce an ideo- logical opponent to scowling si- lence with a single sentence. (Mr. Abrams switched parties after


next year in an election shaped by labor endorsements. Then came the downturn, just as Mr. Abrams had predicted. The teachers gave up the third pay raise. Mr. Abrams was instrumental in building the International Bac- calaureate program in Montgom- ery schools in the 1990s. The Eu- ropean college-preparatory sys- tem helped schools such as Richard Montgomery High in Rockville gain national stature. Stephen Nathaniel Abrams was born in Philadelphia on July 17, 1943. He came to Washington in 1969 with an economics degree from the University of Pennsylva- nia’s Wharton School. He re- ceived a master’s degree in busi- ness administration from Amer- ican University and was a 1974 graduate of the University of Bal- timore law school. He worked as a government


lawyer in international programs such as the Inter-American Foun- dation and the U.S. Agency for International Development. He was a ranking administrator at the Agriculture Department un- der President George H.W. Bush and then a senior lobbyist for the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee. He later was an in- vestment manager for various firms. In his final years, Mr. Abrams turned his attention to Broadway, where he invested in a string of productions including the musi- cals “Avenue Q” and “In the Heights.” Survivors include his wife of 39


years, Judy Goldscheider Abrams of Potomac; two daughters, Elisia Abrams of New York and Jennifer Stier of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and one granddaughter.


devised@washpost.com where.”


While producing hits for oth- ers, he began making music un- der his own name. In the 1950s, Mr. Miller had top-selling records with rousing choral-orchestral versions of the Israeli folk song “Tzena, Tzena, Tzena,” “The Yel- low Rose of Texas” and “Colonel Bogey March,” the whistled theme of the 1957 David Lean film “The Bridge on the River Kwai.” Beginning in 1958, he made a series of albums with a male cho- rus (“Mitch Miller and the Gang”) that featured familiar songs from decades past. The old-fashioned approach was surprisingly popu- lar, and Mr. Miller registered 19 Top 40 hits in four years. In 1961, NBC made him a tele- vision star with “Sing Along With Mitch.” The musical variety show received humbling reviews — “the Miller ensemble is made to sound as if it were working in an empty warehouse and had to sing to keep warm,” a New York Times critic wrote — but it achieved good ratings as Middle America joined the chorus. Mitchell William Miller was


born July 4, 1911, in Rochester, N.Y. His parents were immigrants from Russia, and throughout his life Mr. Miller called himself a scrappy “street kid” whose father was an ironworker.


When he was about 11, he be- gan playing the oboe because it was the only unclaimed instru- ment in his school’s music pro- gram, and he quickly showed a talent for music. By 15, he was performing in a professional or- chestra. He graduated cum laude from Rochester’s Eastman School of Music in 1932, joined the CBS Or- chestra in New York in 1935, and was one of the finest oboists of his time, with solo recordings of works by Bach and Mozart. He played in jazz settings and ap- peared in some of Orson Welles’s Mercury Theatre productions, in- cluding the “War of the Worlds” broadcast in 1938. In 1949, he produced and played oboe on “Charlie Parker With Strings,” one of the most renowned record- ings of the jazz saxophonist. His wife of 65 years, Frances Al-


exander Miller, died in 2000. Sur- vivors include three children, An-


on washingtonpost.com


The music man through the years


For more photos of Mitch Miller and some of the


artists he worked with during his career, see PostLocal.com.


drea Miller of New York, Marga- ret Miller Reuther of Willsboro, N.Y., and Mitchell “Mike” Miller of Boston; two brothers; two grandchildren; and two great- grandchildren. As rock-and-roll came to dom-


inate the recording industry, Mr. Miller was increasingly out of step with the times. He left his ex- ecutive position at Columbia Rec- ords in 1965. Still, many of the performers he signed to the label, including Vic Damone, Jerry Vale, Mahalia Jackson, the Ray Conniff Singers and the New Christy Minstrels, had substan- tial careers. He recorded his final “Sing Along With Mitch” episode in 1964 but continued to make his feel-good recordings for years, selling more than 20 million cop- ies altogether. He led sing-along concerts and conducted orches- tras around the world. His 1987 recording of several classical works by Gershwin with the Lon- don Symphony is considered some of the finest in the Gersh- win repertoire. At a peace rally protesting the


Vietnam War in the early 1970s, Mr. Miller led a group of thou- sands in singing Pete Seeger’s “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” For many years, Mr. Miller, who was known as “The Beard” during an era when it was unusu- al for men to have facial hair, lived in an early 19th-century house in Stony Point, N.Y., that in- spired Alec Wilder to write the classic song “It’s So Peaceful in the Country.” “When the opportunity came to do something, I took it,” Mr. Miller said in 1995, looking back at his life in music. “I never had a career plan. It was serendipity. Good luck comes to those who are prepared to receive it.” schudelm@washpost.com


CONNELLY August 3, 1927 - March 18, 2007 BARBARA J.HOLMES


Happy Birthday Mama! We miss you!We love you! Family and Friends


NAVA GUSTAVOA.NAVA,M.D. 8/3/1995


love for the wisdom and light you brought us. Your Family here and in Mexico


THOMAS August 3, 1944 LORRAINE M.THOMAS


DEATHNOTICE ABRAMS


Elisia Abrams of New York and Jennifer Stier of Brooklyn, devoted father-in-law of David Stier and adored grandfather of Sidney Stier. Along with his long career with the federal government which included service as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Agriculture under President George H. W. Bush, Mr. Abrams, an attorney and businessman, served five terms on the Rockville City Council and three terms on the Mont- gomery County Board of Education. Ser- vices will be held at Congregation Har Shalom, 11510 Falls Road, Potomac, MD on Tuesday, August 3, 2010, 12 noon, with interment at Judean Memorial Gardens, Olney, MD. Shiva will be observed at the Abrams home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hadassah (for Cancer Research), 6101 Executive Boulevard, Suite 130, Rockville,MD, 20852 or to the Mid-Atlantic Alumni Endowed Scholarship at the University of Pennsylva- nia, Undergraduate Financial Aid Develop- ment, 3451 Walnut Street, Franklin Build- ing Room 633, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Arrangements entrusted to TORCHINSKY HEBREW FUNERAL HOME, 202-541-1001 (endorsed by the Rabbinical Council of GreaterWashington).


BAKER


STEPHEN N.ABRAMS On Sunday, August 1, 2010, the Honorable STEPHEN N. ABRAMS, of Potomac, MD, beloved husband of Judy Goldscheider Abrams, cher- ished father of daughters


December 25, 2005


Happy Birthday Momma! We miss you! Love,Your Kids and Grandkids


ANN MARY CONNELLY


Of Annapolis, MD went to be with the Lord on Sunday, August 1, 2010 after battling ALS for the past year. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Connelly, and her oldest daughter, Molly Kemrite. Ann was the loving mother of six surviving children: Anne Partello of Edgewater, MD, Kathleen Gallagher of Owings, MD, Dan Connelly of Rockville, MD, Rich Connelly of West River, MD, Tim Connelly of Lutherville, MD and Tom Connelly of Stevensville, MD. Ann is also survived by her beloved sister and dear friend, Joan Flynn, fifteen wonderful grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Born July 26, 1934 in Kingston, PA, Ann was the daughter of the late Dr. Richard and Dolly Kilhullen of Kingston, PA. Ann and her husband raised their seven children in Camp Springs, MD. After her hus- band's death in 1982,Ann worked at Seafarers International Union from 1983 until her retire- ment in 2001. After her retirement,Ann moved to Heritage Harbour in Annapolis,MD. She will be remembered for her wonderful devotion to her family. Friends are invited to Ann's Life Celebration at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, 5416 Henderson Way, Camp Springs, MD on Wednesday, August 4 from 11:00 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial is celebrated at 12:00 p.m. Interment Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton, MD. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at http://www.alscen- ter.org/donate/. Online guestbook available at www.kalasfuneralhomes.com


COOK JESSIE COOK


On July 27, 2010 of Capitol Heights, MD. Sur- vived by nephew Leroy R. Cheek, Sr., nieces; nephews; other relatives and friends. Visitation 9:30 a.m. Service 10:30 a.m. Thursday, August 5, at J.B. JENKINS FUNERAL HOME, 7474 Lan- dover Rd., Landover,MD.


DRISCOLL DAVID CHRISTOPHER DRISCOLL, SR. RAYMONDNICHOLAS BAKER


Died peacefully at home on Friday, July 30, 2010. Beloved husband ofAnne G. Baker; loving father of Clare, Peter (Sally), Catherine Davis (Olin), Garry (Susan), Ellen Smyth (Gus), Chris (Diana) and Tim (Susan) Baker; grandfather of 12 grandchildren. Also survived by four siblings, many nieces and nephews. Friends may call at Church of the Annunciation, 3810 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, DC, Tuesday, August 3 from 10 a.m. until time of Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Kiwanis Foundation of Wash- ington, DC. P.O. Box 151561, Chevy chase, MD 20825. Arrangements by DeVOL.


BOWERS J.ALLEN BOWERS


Of Adelphi, MD on August 1, 2010. Husband of Elizabeth Bowers; father of David Bowers, Susan Walter and Julia Koch. Also survived by seven grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held at the University of Maryland Golf Course, University Blvd. and Golf Course Rd., College Park, MD on Sunday, August 8 from 3 to 5 p.m.


BOYER CHARLESW.BOYER "Chuck" June 19, 1920 - August 3, 2007


INMEMORIAM ETHELINE M. CARTER


CARTER


Mother dear, it seems like yesterday, your laughter filled the air.Although we're far apart, Your memory will be forever be in our hearts. Love and Miss you,Winnie and Family


Charles W. Boyer, Jr, U.S. Army, Ret., age 88, a resident of Alexandria,VA passed away on July 31, 2010. He is survived by his loving wife Mary Louise Boyer; three daughters, Linda A., wife of Donald G. Laumeister, Ellen R. Boyer and Mary K. Boyer, wife of Michel Schneider; one son, Charles W. Boyer III; one sister, Kathleen R. Womersley; four grandchildren, Donna L. Laumeister, Betsy S., wife of Andrew J.Woodall, Caitlin M. and Christian T. Schneider; two great- grandchildren, Eloise P. and Declan P.Woodall. Preceded in death, by brother, James H. Boyer and grandson, Peter A. Laumeister. Visitation will be Wednesday, August 4, 2010 4-8 p.m. at Demaine Funeral Home Springfield, VA. Funeral Mass will be Thursday, August 5, 2010, 11am at Queen of Apostles Catholic Church, Alexandria, VA. Burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA with honors Monday, November 15, 2010, 9 a.m. Those wishing to make memorial contributions make them to: Catholic Relief Services 209 West Fayette St. Baltimore, MD 21201-3443 Arrangements entrusted to Demaine Funeral Home 5308 Backlick Rd. Springfield, VA, 703-549-0074. demainefunerals.com


On Saturday, July 31, 2010 at his home. Born in Washington, DC on July 28, 1924. Devoted husband of the late Eurma (Kay) Driscoll; loving father of David (Ann Harrington) C. Driscoll, Jr., Claudia (Bob) Owens, Richard (Margie) Gannon, Earl (Margaret) Driscoll, Edward (Lisa) Driscoll and Robert Chames; doting grandfather of Matthew (MaryLynn) Driscoll, Christopher Owens, Loralee (Clint) Gillis, Katie Gannon and Brianna and Evan Driscoll; great-grandfather of Matthew and Michaela Driscoll, Carsen and Colten Gillis, and Sarah Owens. David served in the Navy during WWII as a Medalsmith Third Class assigned to the LST 598 in the Pacific theatre. He was a member of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local Union 100 for over 50 years. Viewing will be held on Wednesday, August 4, 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at HINES-RINALDI FUNERAL HOME, 11800 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, MD, where funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 5 at 11 a.m. Interment following at George Washington Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to FisherHouse Foundation, Inc., 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, MD 20850-5168 or Chillum-Adelphi Fire Department, 7833 Riggs Rd., Adelphi,MD 20783


FLYNN JAMES P. FLYNN (Age 86)


Of Bethany Beach, DE formerly of Kensing- ton, MD passed away peacefully surround- ed by his loving family on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes, DE. Mr. Flynn was born in New York, NY on October 30, 1923 son of the late Michael Joseph and Margaret Dooher Flynn. Jim was a veteran of WWII in the United States Army Air Corps, serving in England as a lead Navigator with the 467th Bombardment Group. Mr. Flynn served as a Special Agent with the FBI from 1949 until his retirement in 1978. He was a member of St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Bethany Beach, DE and a lifetime member of the VFW Post 7234 at Quillen’s Point in Ocean View, DE. Jim was deeply devoted to his family and will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Barbara M. Meixner Flynn; five children, Craig P. (Kathy) Flynn, Barbara M. (Patrick) Brant, Mark M. (Wendy) Flynn, Patricia M. Vaughan and Mary E. (Gary) Niedermeier; a sister, Marion (Daniel) Lynch; 11 beloved grandchildren and seven great grandchil- dren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Garfield Parkway, Bethany Beach, DE 19930, where friends and family may call after 10 a.m. A visi- tation will also be held Tuesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ocean View Chapel of Melson Funeral Services, 38040 Muddy Neck Rd., Ocean View,DE 19970. Interment with military honors will follow mass at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Millsboro, DE. In lieu of flowers the family suggestsmemo- rial contributions in Jim’s name to Rosary Hill Home, 600 Linda Ave., Hawthorne, NY 10532-1362. Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.melsonfuneralservices.com


We remember you prayerfully each year with


On July 29, 2010. Beloved wife of the late Harry W. Burnham; loving mother of Carol M. Whittemore and Albert D. Burnham. Family and friends will be received at LEE FUNERAL HOME, Branch Ave. and CoventryWay, Clinton, MD on Wednesday, between 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m., where service will be celebrated on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 1 p.m. Interment Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.


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