Mitchell was born in Alabama, but he moved with his parents to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when he was eight. He played the bugle in school and wanted to play trumpet, but the band needed a trombonist and Mitchell's long arms fit the task. He was a member of the school's orchestra with Ahmad Jamal and Dakota Staton.[1] At sixteen, he played with King Kolax's territory band in Indiana.[2]
In 1951 he joined the U.S. Marines and played in a military band.[1] After being discharged in 1953, he moved to San Francisco, where he worked with Earl Hines, Lionel Hampton, and Duke Ellington.[2] From 1962–1970, he was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. Mitchell had been a fan of Tommy Dorsey, and Basie told him he sounded like Dorsey. He spent the next decade working in television and movies, then returned to Basie's orchestra in 1980 and remained with it until Basie's death in 1984. Thad Jones became leader of the orchestra, followed by Frank Foster, then Mitchell in 1995.[2][3]
As bandleader, Mitchell won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild (1996) and Count Plays Duke (1998)[3]
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