Ralph Carmichael

American Christian Contemporary and pop composer, arranger, songwriter, producer & record executive.
Born May 28, 1927 in Quincy, Illinois, USA.
Died October 18, 2021 (94 years of age) in Camarillo, California, USA.
Married to Vangie Carmichael) (1948-1964, divorced).

Though Carmichael was well-known for his Christian music, he had a big career in pop music as well. He became Nat King Cole's regular arranger after some early success together. Their first mainstream pop collaboration was "The Touch of Your Lips" (also 1960), and their final team-up was Cole's last album, "L-O-V-E" (recorded December 1964), only two months before Cole died of lung cancer.
Carmichael wrote arrangements for many other top pop performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Jack Jones, Peggy Lee, Julie London, Al Martino and Roger inducted.

In the gospel realm, Carmichael often provided scoring for films produced by Billy Graham Crusades and was creator of many "folk musicals" aimed at younger congregants in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Carmichael was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1985 and into the National Religious Broadcasters' Hall of Fame in 2001.