Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell | |
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Guy Mitchell (born Albert George Cernik; February 22, 1927 – July 1, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor, successful in his homeland, the UK, and Australia. He sold 44 million records, including six million-selling singles. His best-known songs include "My Heart Cries for You", "Heartaches by the Number" and "Singing the Blues".[1]
In the fall of 1957, Mitchell starred on the eponymous
Life and career
Mitchell was born Albert Cernik to
Cernik served in the
Mitch Miller, in charge of talent at Columbia Records, noticed Cernik in 1950. Cernik joined Columbia and took his new stage name at Miller's urging. Mitch Miller originally had intended to record a sentimental ballad called "My Heart Cries for You" and "The Roving Kind" with Frank Sinatra, however, Sinatra was not interested and rejected the songs selected for him to record that day. Given that Miller had already booked the musicians for the recording session, he invited Cernik to come in the evening as a replacement to record the songs. The recording went well, and Miller then told him that he should change his name as Miller could not pronounce the name Cernik. Initially reluctant, he then took Miller's name Mitchell, and added Guy as he liked to say "Hi, Guy" in reply to other people's "Hello", and became Guy Mitchell for the record release.[4] "My Heart Cries for You" became Mitchell's first hit song, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard charts.[5]
After "My Heart Cries for You", he had a number of other hits including "Heartaches by the Number", "Rock-a-Billy" (a crossover into the rock and roll field), and "The Same Old Me". His biggest hit was "Singing the Blues", which was number one for 10 weeks in 1956.[6] Bob Merrill wrote a number of hits for Mitchell.[7]
In the 1950s and 1960s Mitchell acted in such movies as
Mitchell's popularity waned in the 1960s, although he continued to record songs for a number of labels. In 1990, he appeared in several episodes of the BBC drama series Your Cheatin' Heart as the fictional country singer Jim Bob O'May, singing several standards including his own hit "Singing the Blues".[1]
Death
Mitchell died on July 1, 1999, aged 72, at Desert Springs Hospital in
Tribute
In 2007, to commemorate what would have been his 80th birthday, the English division of
Singles discography
Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Chart positions | Album | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [11][12] |
CB | US Country [15] |
US
R&B |
AU | ||||
1950 | "My Heart Cries For You" (Gold record) / | 2 | 1 | 1 | Guy's Greatest Hits | |||
"The Roving Kind" | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||||
1951 | "You're Just In Love" b/w "Marrying For Love" Both sides with Rosemary Clooney |
24 | Non-album tracks | |||||
"The House of Singing Bamboo" (with Rosemary Clooney) / | 3 | |||||||
"The Place Where I Worship" (with Rosemary Clooney) | 6 | |||||||
"Sparrow In The Treetop" / | 8 | 2 | 3 | Guy's Greatest Hits | ||||
"Christopher Columbus" | 27 | |||||||
"A Beggar In Love" / | 4 | 6 | Non-album tracks | |||||
"Unless" | 17 | 3 | ||||||
"My Truly, Truly Fair" (Gold record) b/w "Who Knows Love" (Non-album track) |
2 | 1 | 1 | Guy's Greatest Hits | ||||
"Belle Belle My Liberty Belle" / | 9 | 1 | 4 | |||||
"Sweetheart Of Yesterday" | 23 | 12 | Non-album tracks | |||||
"There's Always Room At Our House" / | 20 | 4 | 8 | |||||
"I Can't Help It" | 28 | |||||||
1952 | "(There's A Pawnshop On The Corner In) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania" (Gold record) b/w "The Doll With A Sawdust Heart" (Non-album track) |
4 | 3 | 2 | Guy's Greatest Hits | |||
"Wimmin'" b/w "We Won't Live In A Castle" |
27 | 20 | 17 | Non-album tracks | ||||
"A Little Kiss Goodnight" b/w "Gentle Johnny" Both sides with Doris Day |
||||||||
"The Day Of Jubilo" / | 26 | 4 | ||||||
"You'll Never Be Mine" | 24 | |||||||
"Feet Up (Pat Him on the Po-Po)" b/w "Jenny Kissed Me" (Non-album track) |
14 | 18 | 1 (2 in MM) | 2 | Guy's Greatest Hits | |||
"'Cause I Love You, That's A-Why" b/w "Train Of Love" Both sides with Mindy Carson |
24 | 25 | 8 | Non-album tracks | ||||
"Why Should I Go Home" b/w "Don't Rob Another Man's Castle" |
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1953 | "She Wears Red Feathers" / | 19 | 14 | 1 | 5 | Guy's Greatest Hits | ||
"Pretty Little Black Eyed Susie" | 2 | 17 | Non-album tracks | |||||
"I Want You For A Sunbeam" b/w "So Am I" Both sides with Mindy Carson |
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"Wise Man Or Fool" b/w "Walkin' and Wond'rin" |
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"Tell Us Where The Good Times Are" b/w "There's Nothing As Sweet As My Baby" Both sides with Mindy Carson |
23 | |||||||
" Look At That Girl "b/w "Hannah Lee" |
1 | |||||||
"Chicka Boom" / | 16 | 4 | 14 | |||||
"Cloud Lucky Seven" | 2 | 19 | ||||||
"Sippin' Soda" / | 11 | 5 | ||||||
"Strollin' Blues" | 18 | |||||||
1954 | "The Cuff Of My Shirt" b/w "Got A Hole In My Sweater" |
9 | ||||||
"A Dime and A Dollar" b/w "Tear Down The Mountains" |
8 | |||||||
"There Was Once A Man" b/w "My Heaven and Earth" |
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"I Met The Cutest Little Eyeful (At The Eiffel Tower)" b/w "Gee, But You Gotta Come Home" |
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1955 | "Nobody Home" b/w "Zoo Baby" |
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"Man Overboard" b/w "(Otto Drives Me Crazy) Otto's Gotta Go" |
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"Too Late" b/w "Let Us Be Sweethearts Over Again" |
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1956 | "Ninety Nine Years (Dead Or Alive)" b/w "Perfume, Candy and Flowers" |
23 | 19 | 26 | ||||
"When Blinky Blows" / | 22 | |||||||
"Belonging" | 25 | |||||||
"Give Me A Carriage With Eight White Horses" b/w "I Used To Yate Ya" |
42 | |||||||
"Finders Keepers" b/w "I'd Like To Say A Few Words About Texas" |
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"Singing The Blues" / | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | Guy's Greatest Hits | ||
"Crazy With Love" | 53 | 42 | Non-album track | |||||
1957 | "Knee Deep In The Blues" / | 16 | 15 | 3 | 13 | Guy's Greatest Hits | ||
"Take Me Back Baby" | 47 | 38 | 30 | Non-album track | ||||
"Rock-A-Billy" b/w "Hoot Owl" (Non-album track) |
10 | 13 | 1 | 10 | Guy's Greatest Hits | |||
"In The Middle Of A Dark Dark Night" / | 25 | 49 | Non-album tracks | |||||
"Sweet Stuff" | 83 | 51 | flip | |||||
"Call Rosie On The Phone" b/w "Cure For The Blues" |
17 | |||||||
1958 | "The Lord Made A Peanut" b/w "(I'm Walkin' Down A) One Way Street" |
56 | ||||||
"C'mon Let's Go" b/w "The Unbeliever" |
71 | |||||||
"Till We're Engaged" b/w "Hey, Madame" |
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"Honey Brown Eyes" b/w "Hangin' Around" |
92 | |||||||
1959 | "Butterfly Doll" b/w "Let It Shine, Let It Shine" |
87 | ||||||
" Half As Much "b/w "Guilty Heart" |
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"Pride O'Dixie" b/w "Alias Jesse James" |
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"I'm Gonna Leave You Now" (with The Easy Riders) b/w "Loosen Up Lucy" |
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"Heartaches By The Number" b/w "Two" |
1 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 3 | |||
1960 | "The Same Old Me" b/w "Build My Gallows High" (from Songs Of The Open Spaces 10" LP) |
51 | 103 | |||||
"Symphony of Spring" b/w "Cry Hurtin' Heart" (Non-album track) |
A Guy in Love | |||||||
"My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You" b/w "Silver Moon Upon The Golden Sands" |
45 | 106 | 63 | Sunshine Guitar | ||||
"Sunshine Guitar" b/w "Ridin' Around In The Rain" |
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1961 | "Your Goodnight Kiss" b/w "Follow Me" |
106 | 100 | Non-album tracks | ||||
"Divorce" b/w "I'll Just Pretend" |
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"Soft Rain" b/w "Big Big Change" |
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1962 | " Charlie's Shoes "b/w "Rusty Old Halo" |
110 | 143 | |||||
"Go Tiger Go" b/w "If You Ever Go Away (I'll Go Out and Eat Some Worms)" |
101 | 123 | ||||||
1963 | " Have I Told You Lately That I Love You "b/w "Blue Violet" |
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1966 | "The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" b/w "If I Had My Life To Live Over" |
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1967 | "Traveling Shoes" b/w "Every Night Is A Lifetime" |
51 | Traveling Shoes | |||||
1968 | " Alabam "b/w "Irene Good-Bye" |
61 | ||||||
"Frisco Line" b/w "Singing The Blues" (from Traveling Shoes) |
71 | Singin' Up A Storm | ||||||
1969 | "Get It Over" b/w "Just Wish You'd Maybe Change Your Mind" |
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1970 | "Singing The Blues" b/w "Heartaches By The Number" (from Heartaches By The Number) |
Traveling Shoes |
Best known songs
- "My Heart Cries for You" (1950)[16]
- "The Roving Kind" (1951)[16]
- "My Truly, Truly Fair" (1951)[16]
- "Sparrow In The Treetop" (1951)[16]
- "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania" (1952)[16]
- "She Wears Red Feathers" (1953)[16]
- "Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle" (1951)
- "Feet Up (Pat Him On The Po-po)" (1952)
- "Heartaches by the Number"[16] (1959)
- "Knee Deep in the Blues" (1957)
- "Look At That Girl" (1953)
- "Ninety Nine Years (Dead or Alive)" (1956)
- "Pretty Little Black Eyed Susie" (1953)
- "Rock-a-Billy" (1957)
- "The Same Old Me" (1960)
- "Singing the Blues" (1956)
- "The Roving Kind" (1950)
- "Cloud Lucky Seven" (1953)
- "Unless" (1951)
Re-recorded songs
In February 1982 he re-recorded 20 of his popular songs with new musical backings (in stereo) at the Audio Media Studio in Nashville, Tennessee for Bulldog Records (No. BDL 2041 in the UK). The album was entitled "20 Golden Pieces of Guy Mitchell" (not to be confused with "20 Golden Greats" by Mitchell released in 1979). The songs on the album are:-
Side 1
|
Side 2
|
References
- ^ ISBN 9781135929466.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard (July 3, 1999). "Guy Mitchell, Singer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (July 5, 1999). "Guy Mitchell, 72, Affable Crooner Of Novelties and Country Songs". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015.
- ISBN 9780857160881.
- ISBN 9780786429462.
- ^ Freedland, Michael (July 5, 1999). "Guy Mitchell: Fresh-faced pop singer who caught the upbeat mood before rock". The Guardian.
- ^ Vallance, Tom (February 20, 1998). "Obituary: Bob Merrill". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009.
- ^ "Country-pop artist Mitchell dies at 72". Las Vegas Sun. July 2, 1999. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
- ^ "Update: Lifelines: Deaths". Billboard. July 17, 1999. p. 98 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Guy Mitchell | Discography". Discogs. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- ^ "Guy Mitchell > Hot 100". Billboard.
- ^ "Guy Mitchell". MusicVF.com.
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ISBN 9780957688100.
- ^ "Guy Mitchell > Hot Country Songs".
- ^ a b c d e f g Staig, Laurence (July 4, 1999). "Obituaries: Guy Mitchell". The Independent.
External links
- Guy Mitchell Appreciation Society site, belle49.freeserve.co.uk
- Guy Mitchell obituary
- Biodata, "The Interlude Era" site], earthlink.net
- Guy Mitchell at IMDb