Ollie Mitchell

Oliver Edward Mitchell (April 8, 1927 – May 11, 2013) was an American musician and bandleader. He was the son of Harold Mitchell, lead trumpeter for MGM Studios, who also taught Ollie to play the trumpet.[1]

Ollie Mitchell
Birth nameOliver Edward Mitchell
Born(1927-04-08)April 8, 1927
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedMay 11, 2013(2013-05-11) (aged 86)
Puako, Hawaii, U.S.
GenresBig band
Occupation(s)Musician, bandleader
InstrumentsTrumpet
Years active1944–2013
Associated acts

Career

Mitchell would go on to play in big bands for Harry James, Buddy Rich and Pérez Prado, among others, as well as the NBC Symphony Orchestra. In the 1960s, Mitchell joined The Wrecking Crew, a group of studio and session musicians who played anonymously on many records for popular singers of the time, as well as television theme songs, film scores, and advertising jingles. Mitchell was also an original member of Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass. He would go on to have his own bands—Ollie Mitchell's Sunday Band, and the Olliephonic Horns.[1]

Personal life

In 1995, Mitchell and his wife Nancy moved from Los Angeles to Puako, Hawaii, where he founded the Horns. In 2010, Mitchell published his memoir, Lost, But Making Good Time: A View from the Back Row of the Band. According to his wife, he stopped playing the trumpet toward the end of his life, due to macular degeneration and hand problems from an automobile accident. Mitchell also suffered from cancer and died on May 11, 2013. He was survived by his wife and four children.[2]

Discography

With Chet Baker

With Harry James

  • The New James (Capitol Records – ST 1037, 1958)[3]
  • Harry's Choice (Capitol Records – ST 1093, 1958)[4]

With Stan Kenton

With Irene Kral

With Shorty Rogers

With Pete Rugolo

With Dan Terry

  • The Complete Vita Recordings of Dan Terry[5] (Vita Records, 1952)

With Gerald Wilson

Bibliography
  • Mitchell, Ollie (2010). Lost, But Making Good Time: A View from the Back Row of the Band. ISBN 978-1453773413.

See also

References
  1. Thompson, David (June 2010). "Can You Dig It?". Hana Hou!. Vol. 13 no. 3.
  2. Burnett, John (May 19, 2013). "Musician, bandleader Ollie Mitchell dies". Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
  3. Harry James And His Orchestra – The New James at Discogs
  4. Harry James And His Orchestra – Harry's Choice at Discogs
  5. "The Complete Vita Recordings of Dan Terry". Dan Terry. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
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