Notable people · Musician · Vocal Group · Black Ohioans
The Mills Brothers
Four brothers from Piqua who became one of the best-selling vocal groups of the 20th century. They had the first Black network radio show (CBS, 1930), a No. 1 hit with 'Paper Doll' (1943), and over 2,000 recordings.
At a glance
- Born
- 1910
- Died
- 1999
- Known as
- Musician, Vocal Group, Black Ohioans
- Organizations
- CBS
Life story
The Mills Brothers were born in Piqua, Ohio: John Jr. (1910-1936), Herbert (1912-1989), Harry (1913-1982) and Donald (1915-1999). Their father, John Sr., later replaced John Jr. on bass after his death.
They began performing in 1928 and got a recording contract with help from Duke Ellington. Their trademark was vocal imitation of brass and other instruments, with only a guitar and later a ukulele behind them.
They had the first Black network radio show, on CBS in 1930, and their 1943 record 'Paper Doll' reached No. 1 and sold six million copies. In all they made over 2,000 recordings selling more than 50 million copies. They entered the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998, and Donald Mills received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award that year; he kept performing with his son John II until he died in 1999.
Timeline
- 1910: John Mills Jr. born, Piqua (eldest brother) (Piqua, OH) source
- 1928: Group begins performing source
- 1930: First African-American network radio show, on CBS source
- 1936: John Jr. dies; father joins as bass source
- 1943: 'Paper Doll' reaches No. 1 source
- 1998: Vocal Group Hall of Fame; Grammy Lifetime Achievement (Donald Mills) source
- 1999: Donald Mills dies source
What The is known for
- First African-American network radio show (CBS, 1930)
- 'Paper Doll' No. 1 on Billboard (1943), six million copies
- Vocal Group Hall of Fame (1998)
- Paper Doll (1943)
Honors and things named for them
- Vocal Group Hall of Fame (1998)
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1998)
Family
- father: John Mills Sr.
Ohio places
Where The Mills Brothers was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Piqua, Miami County ZIP 45356 · Piqua · Miami County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: The Mills Brothers four brothers Piqua; members and years; CBS radio 1930; Paper Doll; Grammy and Hall of Fame 1998; instrument imitations
