Former Life Member. Composer\/Orchestrator
\n<\/i><\/b>5\/27\/1927 – 10\/18\/2021<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Ralph Carmichael, prolific composer, Emmy Award winning arranger\/conductor for Nat King Cole, Jack Jones, Ella Fitzgerald and Roger Williams, composer of \u201cThe Blob\u201d movie score and considered to be the Father of Contemporary Christian Music, died October 18, 2021, in Camarillo, Calif. He was 94. <\/span><\/p>\n Carmichael was born May 27, 1927, in Quincy, Ill. to Rev. Richard and Adelle Carmichael. Pursuing a college education, he moved to California in 1944 where he has resided ever since. Starting in his early 30\u2019s, he wrote and conducted arrangements for artists including Frankie Laine, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby (\u201cDo You Hear What I Hear?\u201d), Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald and Jack Jones. He also was a primary arranger\/conductor for pianist Roger Williams, creating 20 albums together including 1965\u2019s hit \u201cBorn Free.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Carmichael got a big break when legendary Capitol Records producer Lee Gillette was introduced to some of Ralph\u2019s arrangements in the late 1950s. This led to a prolific collaboration between Ralph and Nat King Cole starting with Nat\u2019s 1960 Christmas album titled \u201cThe Magic of Christmas\u201d which was re-packaged in 1962 as \u201cThe Christmas Song.\u201d Tracks from this album are still heard every Christmas. Cole and Carmichael produced nine full studio projects together, including Nat\u2019s final sessions in 1964 for the album \u201cL\u2022O\u2022V\u2022E,\u201d recorded just weeks prior to Nat\u2019s death \u2013 more collaborations with Nat than any other single arranger.<\/span><\/p>\n Carmichael\u2019s skills were also utilized in writing charts for TV shows including \u201cI Love Lucy,\u201d \u201cDecember Bride,\u201d \u201cBonanza\u201d and \u201cThe Frankie Laine Show,\u201d and he was music director for \u201cThe Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Show,\u201d \u201cThe King Family Show.\u201d \u201cO.K. Crackerby,\u201d \u201cMy Mother the Car\u201d and \u201cWhat\u2019s This Song?\u201d He was also music director on TV specials for Bing Crosby, Barbara McNair & Count Basie, Julie London, Oral Roberts and Anita Bryant, as well as 14 years with Pat Boone on the Easter Seals Telethon.<\/span><\/p>\n Ralph had an extensive history of writing movie scores, including cult classics \u201cThe Blob\u201d starring Steve McQueen and \u201c4D Man\u201d starring Robert Lansing, as well as for \u201cThe Cross and the Switchblade\u201d starring Erik Estrada and Pat Boone. For many years he wrote film music for the Billy Graham organization: \u201cMr. Texas,\u201d \u201cOiltown, U.S.A.,\u201d \u201cThe Restless Ones,\u201d \u201cFor Pete\u2019s Sake\u201d and \u201cHis Land\u201d among numerous others. <\/span><\/p>\n He recorded for most of the major labels: CAPITOL (Nat King Cole, Frankie Laine, Ella Fitzgerald, Sue Raney, Earl \u2018Fatha\u2019 Hines, Stan Kenton, Tex Ritter, Peggy Lee, Barbara McNair, Ann Richards and his own LPs); KAPP (Jack Jones, Roger Williams, Shani Wallis and his own orchestra); WARNER BROTHERS (Jimmy Durante, King Family, Allan Sherman and Clint Walker); DOT (Pat Boone); RCA VICTOR (George Beverly Shea, Laymen Singers, Billy Graham and Paul Horn). He also recorded numerous projects for International Sacred, Sacred, Christian Faith, Word, Light and Brentwood labels. <\/span><\/p>\n A graduate of Southern California Bible College, he became head of the school\u2019s music department in his early 20s. His first achievement was \u201cCampus Christian Hour\u201d that aired on KHJ-TV in Los Angeles, featuring his college band and singers with big band treatments of hymns and gospel songs. The show won an Emmy in 1951.<\/span><\/p>\n Carmichael is considered to be the Father of Contemporary Christian Music because of his focus on creating religious music for the new generation of the 1960\u2019s and beyond. In 1968 he created his own record and publishing companies, Light Records and Lexicon Music Publishing, to promote new Christian artists in addition to his own music, projects that were considered too risky for mainstream labels. Some of the early artists on his label were Andrae Crouch, the Continental Singers, Cliff Richard and Ralph\u2019s studio group \u201cThe Young People.\u201d He also served for several years as president of the Gospel Music Association.<\/span><\/p>\n Composer of over 300 gospel songs, Carmichael\u2019s compositions have been sung around the world and are standard in many church hymnals \u2013 \u201cThe Savior Is Waiting,\u201d \u201cThere Is A Quiet Place,\u201d \u201cReach Out to Jesus,\u201d and \u201cHe\u2019s Everything to Me\u201d to name a few. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, The Carpenters, George Beverly Shea and hundreds of other artists.<\/span><\/p>\n Inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1985 and into the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2001, Carmichael toured for about 25 years with his own big band. He received the Gospel Music Association\u2019s Dove Award in 1994 for his big band CD \u201cStrike Up the Band.\u201d Ralph\u2019s autobiography, \u201cHe\u2019s Everything to Me,\u201d was published in 1986.<\/span><\/p>\n Carmichael is survived by his wife Marvella; children Andrea, Greg, and Erin; grandchildren and great grandchildren; nieces and nephews. His daughter Carol Carmichael Parks predeceased him.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Former Life Member. Composer\/Orchestrator 5\/27\/1927 – 10\/18\/2021 Ralph Carmichael, prolific composer, Emmy Award winning arranger\/conductor for Nat King Cole, Jack Jones, Ella Fitzgerald and Roger Williams, composer of \u201cThe Blob\u201d movie score and considered to be the Father of Contemporary Christian Music, died October 18, 2021, in Camarillo, Calif. He was 94. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,409],"tags":[499,1671],"class_list":["post-8694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-final-notes","tag-final-notes","tag-ralph-carmichael"],"yoast_head":"\n