Guy Mitchell American singer of Croatian origin "Singing the blues" -

Guy Mitchell (1927-1999) = Alberto Cernick

Guy Mitchell “Singing The Blues” on The Ed Sullivan Show

Guy Mitchell (1927 – 1999) singer and actor
Guy Mitchell, celebrated american singer became universally known since 1956 when his song Singing the Blues became the most popular in the USA.
His real name was Albert George Crnić, and both of his parents were from Croatia. His father Albert was born in the town of Mrkopalj in Gorski kotar (a part of Croatia), who as a young man arrived to the USA, working in Detroit. Guy Mithcell’s mother Mary Dobrotinić was born in St. Louis, and both of her parents are from the town of Bribir near the Croatian coast. Albert junior was born in Detroit on 22nd Febrary 1927.

He showed his singing talent already at the age of three, and incited him to sing on various family and social occasions. He was already very young when the family of Crnić (changing the name to Cernick) moved to California. Already at the age of 11 he was noticed by Warner Brothers as a forthcoming star. Attending a school he sang at the radio. Completing Mission High School in San Francisco, he appeared as a singer in various music groups, along with his regular job as a saddlemaker.
Although in California he became professional singer, the turning point in his career occured in New York when he was invited in 1949 to the well known Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts radio show. He was noticed by a well known musician Mitch Miller who invited him to sing for the famous Columbia Records. Here, he obtained a new name, Guy Mitchell. People say that the name was given by his sponsor Miller.
In the 1950s and 1960s he registered for Columbia Records as many as 40 hits. Some of his most popular songs are My Heart Cries for You, Heartaches by the Number, and Singing the Blues, which in 1956 became the most wanted song during 10 weeks. Mitchel also became an actor appearing in several films, and in 1957 had his own TV show.
Guy Mitchell, or Albert Crnić (Cernick), died in Las Vegas on 1st July 1 1999.
Dr. Ante Čuvalo
(translated from Croatian by D.Ž.)
Source www.hkv.hr

According to George Perpich, Guy Mitchell was proud of his descent, and as a member of the Croatian Fraternal Union (CFU, Los Angeles branch) he spoke Croatian and often performed for his countrymen. In 1957 he directed his own program at the ABC network.
See Jure Prpić (= George Perpich): Hrvati u Americi (Croatians in America), Zagreb 1997, p. 292.

Guy Mitchell (1927. – 1999.)
pjevač i glumac
Guy Mitchell, nekoć slavna američka zvijezda, uz pjevanje bio je i glumac. Godine 1956. njegova je pjesma Singing the Blues deset tjedana bila najslušanija pjesma u Americi.
Guy Mitchell bio je jedna od veoma poznatih pjevačkih zvijezda hrvatskog podrijetla u Americi, ali začudo, jako malo Hrvata, čak i u Americi, o njemu nešto zna. Guy MitchellU hrvatskom se tisku malo o njemu pisalo, gotovo ništa. Ponegdje je spomenut, ali onako usput.
Čudno ime, zar ne! Ali to mu je samo umjetničko ime. Mitchellu je pravo ime Albert George Crnić. Otac mu Albert rođen je u mjestu Mrkopalj, Gorski kotar, i u mladim godinama došao je u Ameriku, u veliki grad Detroit, središte američke automobilske industrije. Majka mu Mary, rođena Dobrotinić, rođena je u St. Louisu, a njezini roditelji su iz Bribira. Albert junior rođen je u Detroitu 22. veljače 1927. godine.

Pjevačka se nadarenost kod Alberta (Ala) pomolila već u “sitnim” godinama. Kad mu je bilo samo tri godine, roditelji i prijatelji zamijetili su da pjeva “ko slavuj” i oni su ga poticali pjevati u raznim obiteljskim i društvenim prigodama. Bio je još dječačić kad se obitelj Crnić (promijenili prezime u Cernick) preselila u Kaliforniju i tad se Albertu počelo otvarati carstvo snova. Već od 11. godine bio je zapažen od Warner Brothers kao zvijezda na pomolu i uzet pod njihovo okrilje. Pohađao je školu i pjevao na radiju. Završivši Mission High School u San Franciscu, nastupao je s raznim grupama, ali i radio kao sedlar, služio dvije godine u američkoj mornarici i čekao svoj trenutak.
Premda je u Kaliforniji postao profesionalni pjevač, njegova se zvijezda naglo uzdigla tek kad je dospio u New York i bio pozvan (1949.) na tad poznati Arthur Godfreyâ€™s Talent Scouts radio show. U tom gradu zapazio ga je poznati američki glazbenik Mitch Miller i pozvao da pjeva za famozni Columbia Records. Tu je dobio novo ime, Guy Mitchell. Kažu da mu je novo ime dao upravo njegov pokrovitelj Miller.
Pedesetih i šezdesetih godina prošlog stoljeća Mitchell je snimio za Columbia Records blizu 40 ‘hitova’. On je bio “pre-rock pop” pjevač, a dosta mu pjesama ima “rock beat”. Neke od njegovih najpopularnijih pjesama su My Heart Cries for You, Heartaches by the Number i Singing the Blues, koja je 1956. godine 10 tjedana bila najslušanija pjesma u Americi. Mitchell je, uz pjevanje, bio i glumac te je glumio u nekoliko filmova i 1957. imao svoj TV show.
Mitchell je uistinu bio važan djelić američkog umjetničkog i zabavnog života i društva. Osim užeg obiteljskog kruga, s Hrvatima u Americi nije se puno družio, ali je ipak za vrijeme Domovinskog rata bio voljan nastupiti među Hrvatima u Americi. Nažalost, to se nije ostvarilo, najviše poradi “šegrta” oko njega.
Guy Mitchell, odnosno Albert Crnić, umro je u Las Vegasu 1. srpnja 1999. od komplikacija povodom operacije raka. Bio je to još jedan talent koji je Amerika dobila iz Hrvatske. I ne znamo koliko je hrvatskih talenata obogatilo svijet!
Dr. Ante Čuvalo
Source www.hkv.hr