Before The Beatles, The Temptations, or The Jackson 5, there were The Mills Brothers. The Mills Brothers were among the first globally popular vocal acts in modern history. They were also one of the first massively popular African-American Pop groups ever, and they were also the first Black artists to have their own nationally broadcast radio show.
Most importantly…they hailed from Piqua, Ohio.
The group (mainly) consisted of four brothers: Donald, John Jr., Herbert, and Harry. The guys learned how to sing at their local church and grammar school. They were playing shows at May’s Opera House in Piqua, when they were asked to work with the Harold Greenameyer Band at a performance in Cincinnati, Ohio. From there, The Mills boys became local stars on Cincy’s WLW radio station. Their fantastic fortune would continue, when none other than Duke Ellington discovered them in Cincinnati, and got the group signed to a record deal in New York City.
Once in New York, after auditioning for a CBS Radio in 1930, The Mills Brothers signed a three year contract that made them the first Black artists to have a show on network radio.
The Mills Brothers would go on to have a stellar career. They’d make a ton of hits, tour the world, and even perform for royalty, as they were the first African-Americans to play (a command performance) for British Royalty. They also dropped a huge (and their biggest) single in 1943 called Paper Doll. The song was a smash, staying at the number one spot on Billboard’s singles chart for 12 weeks. Paper Doll is one of the very few songs in history to sell ten million physical copies worldwide.
The Mills Brothers were, arguably, the first American modern Pop group. They shouldn’t be forgotten, not only for their place in American history, but in Ohio’s as well. Because the blueprint for so many singing groups came from our state. We should all take a bow for that.
Miami Valley Music Focus explores the places and people behind the music of Southwest, Ohio. This series is made possible by support from Ohio Arts Council.
