'The Blob' Composer Ralph Carmichael Passed Away at 94
Celebrity

The maestro, whose credits also include 'I Love Lucy' and 'Bonanza', was dubbed the Father of Contemporary Christian Music and helped create Nat King Cole's 'The Magic of Christmas'.

AceShowbiz - Revered Hollywood composer and arranger Ralph Carmichael has died, aged 94. The maestro, whose credits include "I Love Lucy", "Bonanza", and sci-fi classic "The Blob", passed away in Camarillo, California on Monday, October 18.

His career in television and film began in the early 1950s when he began writing incidental music for "I Love Lucy". His work as a composer kicked off a few years later, when he created the score and quirky theme song for 1958's "The Blob", starring Steve McQueen.

By the early 1960s, Ralph was serving as the music director for a host of variety shows and specials starring the likes of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Bing Crosby, and Julie London.

He also helped create one of the most beloved holiday albums of all time, Nat King Cole's "The Magic of Christmas" - Carmichael conducted the orchestra and arranged the songs for the singer, including the most famous version of "The Christmas Song".

Carmichael and Cole went on to produce a total of nine studio projects together, while the writer and arranger also worked in the studio with Frankie Laine, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, and Ella Fitzgerald, among others, and he teamed up with pianist Roger Williams on 20 albums and songs like 1966 hit "Born Free".

Dubbed the Father of Contemporary Christian Music, Carmichael founded his own record and publishing companies in 1968 to promote Christian artists such as Andrae Crouch and Cliff Richard, and he served as president of the Gospel Music Association, writing more than 300 gospel songs, including "There Is a Quiet Place" and "Reach Out to Jesus".

Carmichael was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1985 and into the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2001. His autobiography, "He's Everything to Me", was published in 1986.

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