THE MILLS BROTHERS - I HEARD

I HEARD

THE MILLS BROTHERS

SONGWRITER: DON REDMAN

COUNTRY: U.S.A.

ALBUM: EARLY CLASSICS 1931-1934

LABEL: BRUNSWICK

GENRE: JAZZ

YEAR: 2001

The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and 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, and the first to have a #1 hit on the Billboard singles chart, with Paper Doll in 1943. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

The Mills Brothers were born into a family of nine in Piqua, Ohio, United States. The band 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). Their father, John Hutchinson Mills (February 11, 1882 – December 8, 1967), was a barber with his own shop and a barbershop quartet. He was the son of William Hutchinson Mills and Cecilia Simms who lived in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

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 lessons at the Spring Street Grammar School, they gathered in front of their father's barbershop or on the corner to perform. They entered an amateur contest at May's Opera House but while on stage Harry realized he had lost his kazoo. He improvised by cupping his hand over his mouth and mimicking the sound of trumpet. The brothers liked the idea and worked it into their act. John, the bass vocalist, would imitate the tuba. Harry, a baritone, imitated the trumpet, Herbert became the second trumpet, and Donald the trombone. John accompanied the four-part harmony on ukulele and then guitar. They practiced imitating orchestras they heard on the radio.

When the town is fast asleep, and it's mid-night in the sky

That's the time the festive chink starts to wink his other eye

Starts to wink his dreamy eye, lazily you'll hear him sigh

Strangers taking in the sights, pig-tails flying here and there

See that broken wall street sport, still thinks he's a millionaire

Still thinks he's a millionaire, pipe dreams banish every care

Chinatown, my Chinatown

Where the lights are low

Hearts that know no other land

Drifting to and fro

Dreamy dreamy Chinatown

Almond eyes of brown

Hearts seems light and life seems bright

In dreamy Chinatown.