# "Sing Along with Mitch" anyone remember this show? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-mitch-anyone-remember-this-show/217307 "2003-12-06T03:30:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-mitch-anyone-remember-this-show/217307/21 "2003-12-06T18:58:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TV time \* > **No one (that I see, but it is early morning as I write so I could easily have missed it) has mentioned the lyrics at the bottom of the television screen that Mitch used to urge the watching public to avail themselves of so they could “sing-along”.** **RealityChuck** mentioned it in the second posting. ---
**Author:** ![Titan2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Titan2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Titan2)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-mitch-anyone-remember-this-show/217307/22 "2003-12-06T19:09:11Z")
Columbia in pre rock 50s was the 500lb gorilla of the industry.In addition to the aforementioned Clooney (Come ona my house),Mitch launched Frankie Laine (Mule Train),Guy Mitchell (Singin’the Blues),Patti Page (Doggie in the Window),and Johnny Ray (Cry) among others. He never met a cutesy “hook” he didn’t like. Sinatra gave up on him in '52 because of the “material” Mitch wanted him to sing.Somehow I just can’t see Sinatra belting out Mule Train. This was the state of mainstream pop until the teens started flexing their merchandise muscle,helped along in no small part by the '45 player,and probably the first teenage audience that had some more or less disposable income in history. A lot of teens prior to the era generally helped out the family fund with some, if not all,of their after school earnings. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-mitch-anyone-remember-this-show/217307/23 "2003-12-06T19:32:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Walloon \* > \*\*Yes, **dropzone** wrote that four messages ago. \*\* :smack: D’oh! But it’s “Sing Along with Mitch” not “Read Along with **dropzone** ” ---
**Author:** ![doctordoowop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-mitch-anyone-remember-this-show/217307/24 "2003-12-07T00:44:51Z")
Not sure how Miller affected Aretha-he was at Columbia-she was at Atlantic. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-mitch-anyone-remember-this-show/217307/25 "2003-12-07T00:55:59Z")
Wot – no mention of [Jonathan and Darlene Edwards](http://www.corinthianrecords.com/intv.htm) and their contribution to the sing-along craze? > [@](#): > > [Jonathan Edwards]: But I personally am so pleased with all the five albums that I couldn’t be restricted to any one choice. We were really bitter about the Sing Along with Jonathan and Darlene album, though, which is one of the best technically we’ve done, but Mitch Miller’s “singalong” craze went right down the tubes right after we put the album out, and that destroyed its sales. > [Interviewer]: I’ve read that Mitch Miller blamed your singalong album for killing the craze. > [JE]: Oh, he’s just being vengeful and petty. It was his baby, and he blew it. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-mitch-anyone-remember-this-show/217307/26 "2003-12-07T02:30:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Not sure how Miller affected Aretha-he was at Columbia-she was at Atlantic. [OT Nitick] Actually, Aretha Franklin [recorded with Columbia until the mid 60’s](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70311112149180525&sql=Bl2jw7i5jg76r) where they tried to mold her into a pop-oriented chanteuse. It wasn’t until she joined Atlantic in 1967, that her style became soulful. > [@](#): > > Sinatra gave up on him in '52 because of the “material” Mitch wanted him to sing. Thanks for mentioning that. Sinatra thought Miller was responsible for almost running his recording career into the ground with the lackluster quasi-novelty songs he was making him sing. It just goes to show that Miller’s reputation as a “square” pre-dated the rise of rock n’ roll. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-mitch-anyone-remember-this-show/217307/27 "2003-12-07T15:01:33Z")
Thank you, **NDP** , that’s correct. In fact, a lot of the “boomer” stereotypes of what popular music was like before rock were the creation of Miller and a few other producers in the early 1950’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sing-along-with-mitch-anyone-remember-this-show/217307.md?page=1)