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May 1942: the Mills Brothers' "Paper Doll" was released. On April 29, 1915, Donald Mills was born.
It was on the B-side. "It is rumored that it took less than fifteen minutes to record...."
Paper Doll (Mills Brothers song)
Single by The Mills Brothers
A-side: "I'll Be Around"
Published: 1922 Edward B. Marks Music Corp.
Released: May 1942
Recorded: February 18, 1942
Genre: Jazz
Label: Decca 18318
Songwriter(s): Johnny S. Black
"Paper Doll" was a hit song for The Mills Brothers. In the United States it held the number-one position on the Billboard singles chart for twelve weeks,[3] from November 6, 1943, to January 22, 1944. The success of the song represented something of a revival for the group after a few years of declining sales. It is one of the fewer than 40 all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) physical copies worldwide.
Author and inspiration
The song was written in 1915 (although it was not published until 1930) by Johnny S. Black, whose greatest success would come with his song "Dardanella", which sold 5,000,000 copies in a recording by the bandleader Ben Selvin in 1920 and a further 2,000,000 copies of sheet music. In 1922, Black played "Paper Doll" to the music publisher Edward B. Marks on the violin, after which Marks bought it for $25 in advance royalties. Marks put "Paper Doll" on the market, but it was a flop. In 1936, Johnny Black died after a fight with a customer at his Hamilton, Ohio, roadhouse.
Black was apparently inspired to write the song after he was jilted by a girlfriend. The author Jack London Riehl wrote that Black was "a pianist, who augmented his income by boxing. His girlfriend ran off with another boxer, and he wrote this song, which began, 'I'd like to buy a paper doll that I can call my own ...' and ended 'I'd rather have a paper doll to call my own than have a fickle-minded real live girl.'"
Recording and slow chart climb
On February 18, 1942, The Mills Brothers recorded "I'll Be Around" by Alec Wilder as their new single, with "Paper Doll" as the B-side. It is rumored that it took less than fifteen minutes to record the latter. Harry Mills recalled that he and his brother Herbert did not initially like the song, although their brother Donald did. However, Harry said, "as we went along rehearsing it, we got to feeling it".
It was released by Decca Records in May but generated little interest. A review in Billboard on May 16 called the song "more pleasing" than the A-side of the record but ended, "Little here save for Mills fans at particular locations." It did make number 9 in the South Region on October 24, 1942, for one week, then reappeared on May 22, 1943. It finally hit number 10 on August 7 and number 1 on November 6, which is where it stayed through January 22, 1944, charting forty weeks in all.
{snip}
Other recordings
The song has been named one of the Songs of the Century and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
{snip}
Single by The Mills Brothers
A-side: "I'll Be Around"
Published: 1922 Edward B. Marks Music Corp.
Released: May 1942
Recorded: February 18, 1942
Genre: Jazz
Label: Decca 18318
Songwriter(s): Johnny S. Black
"Paper Doll" was a hit song for The Mills Brothers. In the United States it held the number-one position on the Billboard singles chart for twelve weeks,[3] from November 6, 1943, to January 22, 1944. The success of the song represented something of a revival for the group after a few years of declining sales. It is one of the fewer than 40 all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) physical copies worldwide.
Author and inspiration
The song was written in 1915 (although it was not published until 1930) by Johnny S. Black, whose greatest success would come with his song "Dardanella", which sold 5,000,000 copies in a recording by the bandleader Ben Selvin in 1920 and a further 2,000,000 copies of sheet music. In 1922, Black played "Paper Doll" to the music publisher Edward B. Marks on the violin, after which Marks bought it for $25 in advance royalties. Marks put "Paper Doll" on the market, but it was a flop. In 1936, Johnny Black died after a fight with a customer at his Hamilton, Ohio, roadhouse.
Black was apparently inspired to write the song after he was jilted by a girlfriend. The author Jack London Riehl wrote that Black was "a pianist, who augmented his income by boxing. His girlfriend ran off with another boxer, and he wrote this song, which began, 'I'd like to buy a paper doll that I can call my own ...' and ended 'I'd rather have a paper doll to call my own than have a fickle-minded real live girl.'"
Recording and slow chart climb
On February 18, 1942, The Mills Brothers recorded "I'll Be Around" by Alec Wilder as their new single, with "Paper Doll" as the B-side. It is rumored that it took less than fifteen minutes to record the latter. Harry Mills recalled that he and his brother Herbert did not initially like the song, although their brother Donald did. However, Harry said, "as we went along rehearsing it, we got to feeling it".
It was released by Decca Records in May but generated little interest. A review in Billboard on May 16 called the song "more pleasing" than the A-side of the record but ended, "Little here save for Mills fans at particular locations." It did make number 9 in the South Region on October 24, 1942, for one week, then reappeared on May 22, 1943. It finally hit number 10 on August 7 and number 1 on November 6, which is where it stayed through January 22, 1944, charting forty weeks in all.
{snip}
Other recordings
The song has been named one of the Songs of the Century and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
{snip}
The Mills Brothers
Background information
Origin: Piqua, Ohio
Genres: Jazz, traditional pop
Years active: 1928–1982
Past members: John Mills Jr., Herbert Mills, Harry Mills, Donald Mills, John Mills Sr., Norman Brown
Website: www.themillsbrothers.com
The Mills Brothers ad in The Film Daily, 1932
The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and garnered at least three dozen gold records.
The Mills Brothers were the first African-American artists to have their own show on national network radio (on CBS in 1930); they made appearances in film; and were the first to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard singles chart, with "Paper Doll" in 1943. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Early years
The Mills Brothers were born into a family of nine in Piqua, Ohio, United States.
The quartet consisted of Donald (lead tenor vocals, April 29, 1915 – November 13, 1999), Herbert (tenor vocals, April 2, 1912 – April 12, 1989), Harry (baritone vocals, August 9, 1913 – June 28, 1982), and John Jr. (guitar, double bass, vocals; October 19, 1910 – January 23, 1936).
{snip}
Background information
Origin: Piqua, Ohio
Genres: Jazz, traditional pop
Years active: 1928–1982
Past members: John Mills Jr., Herbert Mills, Harry Mills, Donald Mills, John Mills Sr., Norman Brown
Website: www.themillsbrothers.com
The Mills Brothers ad in The Film Daily, 1932
The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and garnered at least three dozen gold records.
The Mills Brothers were the first African-American artists to have their own show on national network radio (on CBS in 1930); they made appearances in film; and were the first to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard singles chart, with "Paper Doll" in 1943. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Early years
The Mills Brothers were born into a family of nine in Piqua, Ohio, United States.
The quartet consisted of Donald (lead tenor vocals, April 29, 1915 – November 13, 1999), Herbert (tenor vocals, April 2, 1912 – April 12, 1989), Harry (baritone vocals, August 9, 1913 – June 28, 1982), and John Jr. (guitar, double bass, vocals; October 19, 1910 – January 23, 1936).
{snip}
The Mills Brothers - Paper Doll
HerkulTuberkul
2.99K subscribers
1,111,651 views Jun 6, 2011
The Mills Brothers - Paper Doll
HerkulTuberkul
2.99K subscribers
1,111,651 views Jun 6, 2011
The Mills Brothers - Paper Doll
