# Guy Mitchell

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".
In the fall of 1957, Mitchell starred on the eponymous ABC's The Guy Mitchell Show. He also acted in a number of films such as Those Redheads From Seattle and Red Garters, and appeared on TV as George Romack on the 1961 NBC western detective series Whispering Smith, and on the 1990 BBC drama series Your Cheatin' Heart.

## Life and career

Mitchell was born Albert Cernik to Croatian immigrants in Detroit, Michigan. The family moved when he was 11 to Los Angeles where he was signed by Warner Brothers Pictures, to be a child star, and performed on the radio on KFWB in Los Angeles, California. However, his career as a child star failed to take off, and the family moved to San Francisco where, after leaving school, he worked as a saddlemaker, supplementing his income by singing. Dude Martin, who had a country music broadcast in San Francisco, hired him for his band.
Cernik served in the United States Navy for two years in World War II, then sang with Carmen Cavallaro's big band. In 1947 he recorded for Decca with Cavallaro's band, but left due to food poisoning. He went next to New York City and made records for King Records as Al Grant (one, "Cabaret", appeared in the Variety charts). He won on the radio show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in 1949 as a soloist.
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. "My Heart Cries for You" became Mitchell's first hit song, reaching No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard charts and topping the UK music charts.
After "My Heart Cries for You", Mitchell was propelled into international fame and would be a popular star throughout the 1950s. Mitchell scored more international hits during the 1950s. His biggest hit was "Singing the Blues", which topped the charts in the U.S. for ten consecutive weeks and topped the charts in the UK for three non-consecutive weeks.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Mitchell acted in such movies as Those Redheads From Seattle (1953) and Red Garters (1954). Mitchell also had various acting roles on television. He appeared in "Choose a Victim", a 1961 episode of Thriller, and in "The Case of the Guilty Clients", a 1961 episode of Perry Mason.
Mitchell's last major hit would be "Heartaches by the Number". The song became one of the last number-one singles of the 1950s and the last number-one single of Mitchell's career. Mitchell's popularity subsequently 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".

## Death

Mitchell died on July 1, 1999, aged 72, at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada of complications from cancer surgery.

## Tribute

In 2007, to commemorate what would have been his 80th birthday, the English division of SonyBMG released The Essential Collection CD. His song "Heartaches by the Number" was part of the soundtrack of the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas.

## Singles discography

| Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated | Chart positions | Chart positions | Chart positions | Chart positions | Chart positions | Chart positions | Album |
| Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated | US | CB | UK | US Country | US R&B | AU | Album |
| 1950 | "My Heart Cries For You" (Gold record) / | 2 | | 1 | | | 1 | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1950 | "The Roving Kind" | 4 | | 2 | | | 2 | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1951 | "You're Just In Love" b/w "Marrying For Love" Both sides with Rosemary Clooney | 24 | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1951 | "The House of Singing Bamboo" (with Rosemary Clooney) / | | | | | | 3 | Non-album tracks |
| 1951 | "The Place Where I Worship" (with Rosemary Clooney) | | | | | | 6 | Non-album tracks |
| 1951 | "Sparrow In The Treetop" / | 8 | | 2 | | | 3 | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1951 | "Christopher Columbus" | 27 | | | | | | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1951 | "A Beggar In Love" / | | | 4 | | | 6 | Non-album tracks |
| 1951 | "Unless" | 17 | | | | | 3 | Non-album tracks |
| 1951 | "My Truly, Truly Fair" (Gold record) b/w "Who Knows Love" (Non-album track) | 2 | | 1 | | | 1 | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1951 | "Belle Belle My Liberty Belle" / | 9 | | 1 | | | 4 | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1951 | "Sweetheart Of Yesterday" | 23 | | | | | 12 | Non-album tracks |
| 1951 | "There's Always Room At Our House" / | 20 | | 4 | | | 8 | Non-album tracks |
| 1951 | "I Can't Help It" | 28 | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 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 |
| 1952 | "Wimmin'" b/w "We Won't Live In A Castle" | | 27 | 20 | | | 17 | Non-album tracks |
| 1952 | "A Little Kiss Goodnight" b/w "Gentle Johnny" Both sides with Doris Day | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1952 | "The Day Of Jubilo" / | 26 | | | | | 4 | Non-album tracks |
| 1952 | "You'll Never Be Mine" | | 24 | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1952 | "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 |
| 1952 | "'Cause I Love You, That's A-Why" b/w "Train Of Love" Both sides with Mindy Carson | 24 | 25 | | | | 8 | Non-album tracks |
| 1952 | "Why Should I Go Home" b/w "Don't Rob Another Man's Castle" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1953 | "She Wears Red Feathers" / | 19 | 14 | 1 | | | 5 | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1953 | "Pretty Little Black Eyed Susie" | | | 2 | | | 17 | Non-album tracks |
| 1953 | "I Want You For A Sunbeam" b/w "So Am I" Both sides with Mindy Carson | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1953 | "Wise Man Or Fool" b/w "Walkin' and Wond'rin" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1953 | "Tell Us Where The Good Times Are" b/w "There's Nothing As Sweet As My Baby" Both sides with Mindy Carson | 23 | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1953 | "Look At That Girl" b/w "Hannah Lee" | | | 1 | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1953 | "Chicka Boom" / | | 16 | 4 | | | 14 | Non-album tracks |
| 1953 | "Cloud Lucky Seven" | | | 2 | | | 19 | Non-album tracks |
| 1953 | "Sippin' Soda" / | | | 11 | | | 5 | Non-album tracks |
| 1953 | "Strollin' Blues" | | | | | | 18 | Non-album tracks |
| 1954 | "The Cuff Of My Shirt" b/w "Got A Hole In My Sweater" | | | 9 | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1954 | "A Dime and A Dollar" b/w "Tear Down The Mountains" | | | 8 | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1954 | "There Was Once A Man" b/w "My Heaven and Earth" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1954 | "I Met The Cutest Little Eyeful (At The Eiffel Tower)" b/w "Gee, But You Gotta Come Home" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1955 | "Nobody Home" b/w "Zoo Baby" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1955 | "Man Overboard" b/w "(Otto Drives Me Crazy) Otto's Gotta Go" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1955 | "Too Late" b/w "Let Us Be Sweethearts Over Again" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1956 | "Ninety Nine Years (Dead Or Alive)" b/w "Perfume, Candy and Flowers" | 23 | 19 | | | | 26 | Non-album tracks |
| 1956 | "When Blinky Blows" / | | | | | | 22 | Non-album tracks |
| 1956 | "Belonging" | | | | | | 25 | Non-album tracks |
| 1956 | "Give Me A Carriage With Eight White Horses" b/w "I Used To Yate Ya" | | | | | | 42 | Non-album tracks |
| 1956 | "Finders Keepers" b/w "I'd Like To Say A Few Words About Texas" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1956 | "Singing The Blues" / | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 4 | 1 | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1956 | "Crazy With Love" | 53 | | | | | 42 | Non-album track |
| 1957 | "Knee Deep In The Blues" / | 16 | 15 | 3 | | | 13 | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1957 | "Take Me Back Baby" | 47 | 38 | | | | 30 | Non-album track |
| 1957 | "Rock-A-Billy" b/w "Hoot Owl" (Non-album track) | 10 | 13 | 1 | | | 10 | Guy's Greatest Hits |
| 1957 | "In The Middle Of A Dark Dark Night" / | | | 25 | | | 49 | Non-album tracks |
| 1957 | "Sweet Stuff" | 83 | 51 | flip | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1957 | "Call Rosie On The Phone" b/w "Cure For The Blues" | | | 17 | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1958 | "The Lord Made A Peanut" b/w "(I'm Walkin' Down A) One Way Street" | | | | | | 56 | Non-album tracks |
| 1958 | "C'mon Let's Go" b/w "The Unbeliever" | | | | | | 71 | Non-album tracks |
| 1958 | "Till We're Engaged" b/w "Hey, Madame" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1958 | "Honey Brown Eyes" b/w "Hangin' Around" | | | | | | 92 | Non-album tracks |
| 1959 | "Butterfly Doll" b/w "Let It Shine, Let It Shine" | | | | | | 87 | Non-album tracks |
| 1959 | "Half As Much" b/w "Guilty Heart" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1959 | "Pride O'Dixie" b/w "Alias Jesse James" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1959 | "I'm Gonna Leave You Now" (with The Easy Riders) b/w "Loosen Up Lucy" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1959 | "Heartaches By The Number" b/w "Two" | 1 | 1 | 5 | | 19 | 3 | Non-album tracks |
| 1960 | "The Same Old Me" b/w "Build My Gallows High" (from Songs Of The Open Spaces 10" LP) | 51 | 103 | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1960 | "Symphony of Spring" b/w "Cry Hurtin' Heart" (Non-album track) | | | | | | | A Guy in Love |
| 1960 | "My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You" b/w "Silver Moon Upon The Golden Sands" | 45 | 106 | | | | 63 | Sunshine Guitar |
| 1960 | "Sunshine Guitar" b/w "Ridin' Around In The Rain" | | | | | | | Sunshine Guitar |
| 1961 | "Your Goodnight Kiss" b/w "Follow Me" | 106 | | | | | 100 | Non-album tracks |
| 1961 | "Divorce" b/w "I'll Just Pretend" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1961 | "Soft Rain" b/w "Big Big Change" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1962 | "Charlie's Shoes" b/w "Rusty Old Halo" | 110 | 143 | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1962 | "Go Tiger Go" b/w "If You Ever Go Away (I'll Go Out and Eat Some Worms)" | 101 | 123 | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1963 | "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" b/w "Blue Violet" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1966 | "The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" b/w "If I Had My Life To Live Over" | | | | | | | Non-album tracks |
| 1967 | "Traveling Shoes" b/w "Every Night Is A Lifetime" | | | | 51 | | | Traveling Shoes |
| 1968 | "Alabam" b/w "Irene Good-Bye" | | | | 61 | | | Traveling Shoes |
| 1968 | "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" | | | | | | | Singin' Up A Storm |
| 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)
* "The Roving Kind" (1951)
* "My Truly, Truly Fair" (1951)
* "Sparrow In The Treetop" (1951)
* "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania" (1952)
* "She Wears Red Feathers" (1953)
* "Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle" (1951)
* "Feet Up (Pat Him On The Po-po)" (1952)
* "Heartaches by the Number" (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:-