Parish, Mitchell

Mitchell Parish Lyricist Shreveport, Louisiana, July 10, 1900; New York City, March 31, 1993. For the most part, Parrish wrote without benefit of collaboration. Many of his hits resulted when he put words to a melody long after the melody had been composed. In some cases, the tune had been a hit before his lyrics appeared. In every case, the song became a greater hit, and often a standard, because of the addition of his words. Parish began his career when publisher Joe Morris hired him to write…