Ralph Carmichael (born 27 May 1927, Quincy, Illinois) is a composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music, being regarded as one of the pioneers of the latter genre. It has been suggested that Sister Cities of Quincy, Illinois be merged into this article or section. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... In popular music an arrangement is a setting of a piece of music, which may have been composed by the arranger or by someone else. ... The current version of the article or section reads like a sermon. ...

His big break came at the end of the 1950s, when his work came to the attention of Capitol Records, who asked him to provide the arrangements for an album of mainly sacred Christmas songs by one of the label's biggest stars, Nat King Cole. The result, The Magic of Christmas, was released for the 1960 festive season, by which time Capitol had already set Carmichael to work with Cole on more secular albums. Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // History The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at... For other uses, see King Cole (disambiguation). ... The Magic of Christmas is an album by Joy Electric. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...

Carmichael duly became Cole's most regularly-utilised arranger from then until the singer's death in early 1965, their first mainstream pop collaboration being The Touch Of Your Lips (also 1960), an album of romantic ballads backed by lush strings, and their final team-up being Cole's last album, L.O.V.E., with jazzy big band arrangements, recorded in December 1964, only two months before Cole succumbed to the lung cancer which was already in its advanced stages, although that is little evident from the recordings. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... L.O.V.E. is the second single from Ashlee Simpsons second album, I Am Me. ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Lung cancer is a cancer of the lungs characterized by the presence of malignant tumours. ...

In between these two very different albums were Cole projects which demonstrated Carmichael's versatility even more, from the Latin arrangements of More Cole Espanol (1962), through the old-time music hall style of 1963's Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer, to the plaintive, country and western charts for I Don't Want To Be Hurt Anymore (1964). 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Country music, once known as Country and Western music, is a popular musical form developed in the southern United States, with roots in traditional folk music, spirituals, and the blues. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

The twin highlights of Carmichael's stint with Cole, however, were the critically-acclaimed Nat King Cole Sings, The George Shearing Quintet Plays (1962) and the ambitious Nat King Cole Sings My Fair Lady (1964). 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

Carmichael wrote arrangements for many other top performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Stan Kenton, Jack Jones, Peggy Lee, Julie London, Al Martino and Roger Williams. He was also Musical Director for I Love Lucy during the later years of the show. Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as Lady Ella (the First Lady of Song), was an American singer, considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th Century, alongside Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. ... Jack Jones may refer to: Jack Jones (banker) Jack Jones (singer) (born 1938) Jack Jones (novelist) (1884–1970) Jack Jones (trade union leader) (born 1913) Lance-Corporal Jack Jones - a character in the sitcom Dads Army Jack Jones (actor) (There have been several actors with this name. ... Peggy Lee (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002) was an American jazz singer and songwriter. ... Julie London Julie London (September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress who was known for her smoky, sensual voice and role as Nurse Dixie McCall RN on the television show Emergency! (1972–1977). ... Cover of the Album Come Share the Wine Al Martino (October 7, 1927 - May 1995 in Milan, Italy as Alfred Cini) is an American singer. ... Roger Williams could mean: Roger Williams University Roger Williams (theologian), co-founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams (soldier) Roger Williams (pianist), American pianist Roger Williams (UK politician), British politician Roger Williams (US politician), US Texas politician Roger Williams (hepatologist), a British liver specialist Roger Williams (trombonist) Roger Williams (activist) This... The title of music director is used by many symphony orchestras to designate the primary conductor and artistic leader of the orchestra. ... I Love Lucy, a CBS television sitcom that aired in the 1950s, was the most popular American sitcom of its generation and is still considered by viewers and experts alike to be one of the greatest television series of all time. ...

However, it is in the field of Christian music that Carmichael has been most prolific. In particular, his experiments in pop-rock style in the 1960s and 1970s have brought him recognition as the "Father of Contemporary Christian Music". ([1]) ([2]) The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The current version of the article or section reads like a sermon. ...

Two of Carmichael's contemporary hymns, He's Everything To Me and Reach Out to Jesus, were recorded by Elvis Presley, the latter on the singer's 1971 Grammy Award-winning album of sacred songs, He Touched Me. Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) in Tupelo, Mississippi, often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer and actor. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards), presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music... He Touched Me was a 1972 gospel album by Elvis Presley which sold over 1 million copies in the US alone. ...

Carmichael was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1985 ([3]) and into the National Religious Broadcasters' Hall of Fame in 2001. GMA can refer to: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines GMA Network, a leading broadcast network in the Philippines Good Morning America, a morning show on ABC Intel GMA, Intel Graphic Media Accelerator, a line of integrated graphic processors (IGP) Good Morning Australia, a 5 day-a-week morning... The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1971 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals in all forms of gospel music. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

His autobiography, He's Everything To Me, was published by Word Books in 1986.