The Mills Brothers were a jazz and pop vocal quartet of the 20th century producing more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and garnered at least three dozen gold records. The Mills Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
The group was originally composed of four African-American brothers all born in Piqua, Ohio, 25 miles (40 km) north of Dayton: John Jr. (October 19, 1910[1] - January 23, 1936) basso and guitarist, Herbert (April 2, 1912 - April 12, 1989) tenor, Harry (August 19, 1913 - June 28, 1982) baritone, and Donald (April 29, 1915 - November 13, 1999) lead tenor.
Their parents were John H. (February 11, 1882 – December 8, 1967) and Eathel Mills. John Sr. owned a barber shop and founded a barbershop quartet, called the '"Four Kings of Harmony"'.
As the boys grew older, they began singing in the choir of the Cyrene African Methodist Episcopal Church and in the Park Avenue Baptist Church in Piqua. After their lessons at the Spring Street Grammar School, they would gather in front of their father's barbershop on Public Square or at the corner of Greene and Main to sing and play the kazoo to passersby.
They entered an amateur contest at Piqua's Mays Opera House. While on stage, Harry discovered he had lost his kazoo. He cupped his hands to his mouth and imitated a trumpet. The success of his imitation led to all the brothers taking on instruments to imitate and created their early signature sound. John Jr. accompanied the four-part harmony first with a ukulele and then a guitar. They practiced imitating orchestras they heard on the radio. John, as the bass, would imitate the tuba. Harry, a baritone, imitated the trumpet. Herbert became the second trumpet and Donald the trombone.
They entertained on the Midwest theater circuit, at house parties, tent shows, music halls and supper clubs throughout the area and became well known for their close harmonies, mastery of scat singing, and their amazing ability to imitate musical instruments with their voices.
12” LP
Tracks: Featuring: see photo no. 2
Condition: Near Mint
Sleeve: Excellent
Released on the Ace Of Hearts Label
Date: 1965
Number: AH 98
All vinyl is played prior to dispatch to ensure good playback.
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Record Grading
The grading system I use when determining the condition of the vinyl is The 'Record Collectors' Grading System, taken from the Rare Record Price Guide book.
Mint (M) The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.
Near Mint (NM) The record looks brand new with no scuffing or any deterioration in sound quality and only the smallest hint that its ever been played. The cover and any additional extras are clean, crisp and with no wear whatsoever.
Excellent (EX) The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.
Very Good (VG) The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.
Good (G) The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.
Fair (F) The record is still just about playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.
Poor (P) The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
I will not refund you if have not read and understood the grading system I use.
To illustrate my point: if I describe a record as Good (G), it's not brand new or excellent - sound quality has noticeably deteriorated and the cover may be damaged with splits or discoloration.
