Ollie Mitchell


Oliver Edward Mitchell was an American musician and bandleader. He was the son of Harold Mitchell, lead trumpeter for MGM Studios, who taught Ollie to play the trumpet.

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 |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.

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.

Discography

With Chet Baker
With Harry James
With Stan Kenton
With Irene Kral
With Shorty Rogers
With Pete Rugolo
With Steely Dan
With Dan Terry
With Gerald Wilson