Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky) was an American lyricist.
By the late 1920s Parish was a well-regarded Tin Pan Alley lyricist in New York City.
His best-known works include the lyrics to songs such as "Stardust", "Sweet Lorraine", "Deep Purple", "Stars Fell on Alabama", "Sophisticated Lady", the translation to English lyrics of "Volare" and "Blue Skirt Waltz", "Moonlight Serenade", "Mr. Ghost Goes to Town", "Sleigh Ride", "One Morning in May", and "Louisiana Fairy Tale", which was the first theme song used in the PBS Production of This Old House.
Besides providing the lyrics to Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust", the two collaborated on standards such as "Riverboat Shuffle" and "One Morning in May".
In 1951, he wrote the English lyrics of the French song Maître Pierre which was written in 1948 by Henri Betti (music) and Jacques Plante (lyrics). The title song became The Windmill Song and the song was recorded by The Andrews Sisters with Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra.
In 1987, a revue titled Stardust was staged on Broadway featuring Parish's lyrics. It ran for 101 performances and was revived in 1999. In an interview at the time Parish claimed to have also written the lyrics to the Duke Ellington standard "Mood Indigo" though they were credited to Irving Mills. He remained "somewhat rueful, though no longer bitter" about it.
Parish's grandnephew was the Grateful Dead roadie Steve Parish, who described Parish's meeting with Jerry Garcia in his autobiography, Home Before Day Light.
In 1972, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
