Mitchell Parish was a noted American lyricist and an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He wrote the lyrics to one of the most prominent standard of the 20th century, "Stardust," which has been recorded over 2,000 times. Among his other great standards are "Deep Purple," "Moonlight Serenade," "Mood Indigo," "Sleigh Ride," "Volare," "Stars Fell on Alabama," "Sweet Lorraine," "Stairway To the Stars," and "Sophisticated Lady." Parish immigrated to the United States as a baby, initially settling in Shreveport, Louisiana. The family soon moved to New York City. Parish was hired as a staff writer by one of the largest music publishing firms, Mills Music. He soon developed a talent for writing lyrics to jazz instrumental themes, which included collaboration with Duke Ellington. In 1929, Parish wrote the lyrics to "Stardust," which was published as an instrumental theme by Hoagy Carmichael two years earlier. The song was early made a hit by Bing Crosby and was a favorite during the big band era, when it was recorded by nearly every big band. The definitive recording of it was made by Nat King Cole in 1957 with an arrangement by Gordon Jenkins. This recording was played at Parish's funeral. In 1963, Frank Sinatra made a most unusual recording of it, singing only the verse and not the chorus. "Stardust" is one of only very few songs to have ever been given this treatment. "Stardust" became the title song of a Willie Nelson album that went double platinum and gave the song new life In the late 20th century. Parish's song "Moonlight Serenade" became the theme song of the Glenn Miller orchestra and one of the most recognizable songs of the big band era. He also wrote "Does Your Heart Beat for Me,"which became the theme song of bandleader Russ Morgan. Parish wrote several lyrics to melodies by Leroy Anderson, including "Sleigh Ride," "The Syncopated Clock," and "Forgotten Dreams." "Sleigh Ride" became a holiday favorite, and became well-known in recordings by Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, and others. In addition to being a lyricist, Parish was a sonneteer, and his sonnets were frequently published in Walter Winchell's syndicated newspaper column. A collection of them were published in a hardbound volume, "For Those in Love." In 1970, Parish was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Parish married Molly Lilienfeld in 1922 and they had three children. Parish is buried at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York, and the first part of the verse to "Stardust" is engraved on his tombstone.