Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
Date | Event |
---|---|
1923 December 23 | Born in Brooklyn, New York |
late 1920s-1938 | Studied piano |
1938 | Became ill with nephritis and lost ability to play piano at a virtuosic level |
1949 | Earned bachelor's degree in music education at New York University |
1950 | Earned master's degree in music at Oberlin College in Ohio |
1950-1955 | Taught vocal music at Joseph Pulitzer Junior High School in New York |
1954-1955 | Directed the Adirondack Folk Festival at Scroon Lake |
1955-1962 | Worked as a folk singer during the folk music revival in Greenwich Village Recorded six albums |
1955 | Recorded his first folk album Merry Ditties (Riverside Records) |
1950s | Performed as a member of the folk music quartet The Skifflers |
1950s | Worked as a pianist, arranger, and conductor for Harry Belafonte, but was fired after an argument regarding the tempo for the song "Hava Nagila" |
1958 | Married Rosemary Okun, with whom he had two children, Andrew and Jennifer |
1960 | Founded Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company in New York City |
1969 October | Produced Peter, Paul, and Mary's recording of John Denver's song "Leaving on a Jet Plane" |
1972 | Produced John Denver and Mike Taylor's song "Rocky Mountain High" |
1972 | Edited The New York Times Great Songs of the Sixties. Chicago: Quadrangle Books |
1973 | Edited The New York Times Great Songs of Lennon and McCarthy. New York: Crown Publishing Group |
1974 | Nominated for his first Grammy Award: Album of the Year for John Denver's Back Home Again |
1976 | Produced Starland Vocal Band's album Afternoon Delight |
1981 | Produced Plácido Domingo and John Denver’s album Perhaps Love, which launched Domingo's career in popular music |
2008 | Awarded the Abe Olman Publisher Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame |
2010 | BMG bought Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company |
2011 | Wrote his memoir with son-in-law Richard Sparks: Along the Cherry Lane: Tales From the Life of Music Industry Legend Milt Okun. Beverley Hills: Classical Music Today |
2016 November 15 | Died of kidney failure in Beverley Hills, California, at age 92 |