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Just heard that Mitch Miller has died.  Actually, I was suprised to hear that he was still alive!  He was 99.

Who was Mitch Miller?  He hosted a live TV show many, many years ago.  The original Karaoke!  He would have a choir of singers on stage, belting out old classics, while the words flashed on the screen below.  So the viewers could literally sing along.  I watched many an episode of this show with my Grandma, who also introduced me to Lawrence Welk (I actually learned how to Polka watching that show).

I went to You Tube to find a video to post here, and to enjoy a little nostalgia.  Watching the video (it is posted below) I saw…Johnny Carson!!??  Don’t know if he was a regular or some kind of special guest.  Also, part of Mitch’s crew was a crooner named Bob McGrath.  Sound familiar?  Think Sesame Street.  And of course the lovely Leslie Uggams who got her start on his show.

What I remember most was Mitch Millers unique way of conducting.

Those were the days!