BARRY LEVINE: Anti-rock stance hurt Mitch Miller

While most fans know that the first No. 1 hit in the rock era was Bill Haley & The Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” in July 1955.

You might get a blank stare if asked which song displaced “Rock Around the Clock” at the top of the charts in September 1955.

You might be more shocked to know that the performer of that hit had nothing but total disdain for the new genre.

Mitch Miller’s “The Yellow Rose of Texas” topped the charts for six weeks beginning on September 1955.

The song was written in 1858 as a marching song for traveling minstrel shows by an unknown author. It became popular during the Civil War by soldiers fighting for the North and South. The song appeared on an album of Civil War songs where Miller discovered it.

Miller liked the final product so much that he ordered 100,000 copies to be pressed. A stunned Columbia Records executive protested the magnitude of the order. Miller was so sure that the record would be successful that he agreed to buy all the non-sold copies.

It wasn’t necessary as “The Yellow Rose of Texas” sold more than 1 million copies.

Miller joined Columbia Records as A&R (artists and repertoire) head in 1951. This is a pivotal position in a recording company, because the A&R executive determined which musicians and songs would be recorded and promoted.

At Columbia, he was responsible for the successful careers of the label’s performers, handling some of the era’s greatest pop singers including Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Frankie Laine, Patti Page, Johnny Mathis, Guy Mitchell, The Four Lads, Doris Day, Dinah Shore, Jo Stafford and Tony Bennett.

His judgment, however, was not flawless.

His anti-rock bias surfaced when he opted not to sign Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. The duo made millions and millions for rival labels RCA Victor (Presley) and Coral (Holly).

Perhaps the biggest blunder of his career as an A&R man was when the decided against signing a group from England called The Beatles. That decision cost Columbia Records billions. Capital Records took advantage of Miller’s shortsightedness to sign The Beatles.

Such superstars as The Byrds and Bob Dylan did not sign with Columbia Records until Miller left the label in 1965.

In defense of his anti-rock stance, he once told “NME” magazine (New Musical Express) in a January 1958 interview that “rock ‘n’ roll is musical baby food: it is the worship of mediocrity, brought about by a passion for conformity.”

In 1956 Miller hosted a panel discussion show on CBS-TV on which he had two psychiatrists who warned parents about the “negative effects” rock music had on teenagers and gave a list of “signs” to watch out for.

Despite his distaste for rock ‘n’ roll, Miller stressed emotional expression over vocal perfection and produced records for Columbia artists that were leaning toward the rock genre such as “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation” by Marty Robbins and “Rock-a-Billy” by Guy Mitchell.

As a record producer, Miller gained a reputation for being both innovated and gimmickry. Although he oversaw dozens of chart hits, his relentlessly cheery arrangements drew criticism.

Miller was one of the most influential people in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, as the head of A&R at Columbia Records, as a best-selling recording artist and with an NBC television series, “Sing Along with Mitch.”

During the early 1960s, Miller became a household name with his TV show “Sing Along with Mitch,” a community-sing program featuring Miller and a male chorus. This was an extension of his highly successful series of Columbia albums of the same name.

In keeping with the show’s title, viewers were presented with lyrics at the bottom of the screen.

Singer Leslie Uggams, pianist Dick Hyman, and the singing Quinto Sisters were featured on the show with Miller.

The show ran from 1961 to 1964.

Miller left Columbia Records in 1965 and joined MCA Inc. as a consultant. He signed later that year with MCA’s Decca Records subsidiary.

“Besides The Yellow Rose of Texas,” Miller had one other chart single, “March from the River Kwai” in 1958. It rose to No. 20.

This week in rock history — Dionne Warwick was awarded her first Gold record for the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song “I Say a Little Prayer” on Oct. 11, 1968. … Johnny Mathis had the No. 1 song with “Chances Are,” which would sell more than two million copies, on Oct. 12, 1957. … Elvis Presley’s classic, “Jailhouse Rock” was released on Oct. 14, 1957. It would become his ninth No. 1 single and remain on the charts for 19 weeks.

Jackie Wilson recorded “Lonely Teardrops” on Oct. 15, 1958. It became the first Top 10 hit for “Mr. Excitement,” reaching No. 7. … Jay &The Americans recorded “This Magic Moment” on Oct. 16, 1968. It rose to No. 6. The Drifters’ 1960 version reached No. 16. … Keen Records released Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me” on Oct. 16, 1957. The single became his biggest hit, selling 2