Milt Okun
| Milt Okun | |
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Milt Okun, 2011
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 23, 1923 |
| Died | November 15, 2016 (aged 92) |
| Occupation(s) | Arranger, record producer, conductor, singer |
| Labels | Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc |
| Associated acts | Peter Paul and Mary, The Chad Mitchell Trio, The Brothers Four |
Milton Theodore "Milt" Okun (December 23, 1923 – November 15, 2016) was an American arranger, record producer, conductor, singer and founder of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. Okun transformed the careers of a dozen or more major U.S. artists who under Okun's tutelage became some of the most successful musical acts of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. A special on PBS alludes to Okun as one of the most influential music producers in history. His career lasted over 50 years, from the folk revival to the twenty-first century.
He created arrangements or produced for a large number of popular groups and artists such as Peter Paul and Mary, The Chad Mitchell Trio, The Brothers Four, John Denver, and Miriam Makeba. In 1968 he interviewed many American folksingers and published the songs they chose in Something to Sing About!
At the height of Okun's career, a critic wrote, "Of all producers, Milton Okun's range is the widest, from Plácido Domingo to the Muppets." Conductor for Harry Belafonte, arranger and producer of Peter, Paul and Mary, the man who brought John Denver to stardom and produced his most loved hits, Okun also founded Cherry Lane Music, the music publishing company for Elvis and DreamWorks among many other household names.
Okun died on November 15, 2016, at the age of 92.
In 2008, Okun won the Abe Olman Publisher Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony. Milton T. Okun published his memoir, Along the Cherry Lane, on June 13, 2011.
Okun was part of the folk quartet The Skifflers and also recorded several albums of his own in the 1950s.
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