In 1975, I was sitting in my office at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and received a telephone call from Betty Mitchell.  At first, I was unaware of who the caller was and after a few moments, I realized that I was speaking with the wife of Guy Mitchell.  The reason for the call was based upon a note that I had written to Guy after his appearance and performance at a conference dealing with alcohol abuse.  The conference was held in Washington, DC and many Hollywood personalities were in attendance.  For all those who are not familiar with the career of Guy Mitchell, let me fill you in! 

Guy Mitchell began his career in music as a singer in Los Angeles.  Mitch Miller, upon hearing Guy sing, decided to use him in various musical productions.  Soon, Guy would become a household name in the entertainment field.  Songs like "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania", "Sparrow in the Treetop", "My Truly Truly Fair" all became top hits of the day. The name Guy Mitchell would soon venture into country music with cover songs like "Singing the Blues" and "Heartaches by the Number" to name a few.  It wasn't long before Guy  would appear in various movies with the likes of Audie Murphy.  Guy would soon move on to host his own television show.."The Guy Mitchell Show"  Guy was quickly becoming a huge success! 

In 1975, I visited with Guy at his home in Tarzana, California.  Guy loved horses and had several at his small ranch in the San Fernando valley.  During my visit, we shared some time singing some of his songs and mine.  Guy was an excellent singer and in my opinion, was terribly over-looked by the Nashville groups.  Even though Guy had pals in Nashville like country great Webb Pierce, he never seemed to crack the music city power groups.  Why?  I suspect that his fame on the west coast was simply never transferred to the music business in Tennessee.  This is too bad because Guy was very talented and a great guy on top of it. 

 For a young man whose love for singing was never quite appreciated by his father, Guy did very well in the entertainment industry.  As the years passed, so would his opportunities in the recording industry.  Guy would experience a failed former marriage and get caught up in the problems associated with alcohol use and abuse.  This seems to be a problem for many in the entertainment field!  In any event, the contributions made to the entertainment field by this talented entertainer cannot be ignored.  The many top hits he had over his many years serve as a constant reminder of the mark he has made. 

 Guy's nearly 40 million record sales and credits in many movies and his enormous following in Europe stand as measures to his success.  Guy entertained for royalty in England and played some of the most famous venues in the world.  Unfortunately, Guy Mitchell died in 1999 following surgery in  a Nevada hospital.  The world lost a great entertainer and a great guy!  He is sorely missed and an end to a golden era in music has come. 

 Guy Mitchell's accomplishments in the entertainment business deserve a special place in history.  A star on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame" and his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame would be fitting.

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