Mills Music, Inc. was an American music publishing company located in Manhattan. Originally known as Jack Mills Music, it was founded by Jack Mills in 1919. It was re-named Mills Music, Inc. in 1928. During the 1920s it was the most prolific music publisher in the United States, but was later surpassed by other music publishers. It remained in operation until 1965 when it was sold to Utilities & Industries. The company is best remembered for its relationship with the African-American community. The publishing house is credited for being one of the first music publishers to promote jazz and it forwarded the careers of many then unknown black composers during the 1920s and 1930s, including Duke Elington. After World War II, the company switched its focus to classical music and publishing music education materials.
Jack Mills was a song-plugger who worked for a variety of Tin Pan Alley publishing houses. [1] He had risen within the industry to the role of manager of the McCarthy & Fisher music publishing house. [2] Also an aspiring songwriter, he had failed to convince any of the publishing companies in New York to publish his music. He founded Jack Mills Music in 1919 partially as a means to publish his own materials. Not long after establishing the company he was joined in the business by his brother Irving Mills. [3] The company was re-named Mills Music, Inc. in 1928. [4] The company was originally located at 152 W. 45th St. but from 1923 resided at the Mills Building at 148–150 W. 46th St. [1]
Mills Music, Inc. (MMI) was the most prolific music publishing company of the 1920s. [4] In the 1920s and 1930s the company had a reputation for supporting and promoting black composers. [5] [4] This began with the publication of more than 100 rags during the 1920s; an important early one being Zez Confrey's "Kitten of the Keys" (1921). [4] It was also one of the earliest music publishers to publish jazz music, [5] and also published other types of music associated with the black community, including blues. One well known blues tune the company published was Lovie Austin and Alberta Hunter's "Down Hearted Blues". [4] MMI is credited for discovering Duke Elington, and Elington was managed by Irving Mills during his early career with MMI publishing his music. [5]
After World War II, MMI's emphasis switched to publishing classical music and music education materials. [4] Jack Mills sold the company in 1965 for $5,000,000.00 to Utilities & Industries. [6]
Albert Von Tilzer was an American songwriter, the younger brother of fellow songwriter Harry Von Tilzer. He wrote the music to many hit songs, including, most notably, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".
Fred Fisher was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher.
Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally, it referred to a specific location on West 28th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in the Flower District of Manhattan, as commemorated by a plaque on 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth. Several buildings on Tin Pan Alley are protected as New York City designated landmarks, and the section of 28th Street from Fifth to Sixth Avenue is also officially co-named Tin Pan Alley.
M. Witmark & Sons was a leading publisher of sheet music for the United States "Tin Pan Alley" music industry.
Irving Harold Mills was an music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz promoter. He often used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose.
"Lovesick Blues" is a Tin Pan Alley song, composed by Cliff Friend, with lyrics by Irving Mills. It first appeared in the 1922 musical "Oh, Ernest", and was recorded that year by Elsie Clark and Jack Shea. Emmett Miller recorded it in 1925 and 1928, followed by country music singer Rex Griffin in 1939. The recordings by Griffin and Miller inspired Hank Williams to perform the song during his first appearances on the Louisiana Hayride radio show in 1948. Receiving an enthusiastic reception from the audience, Williams decided to record his own version despite initial push back from his producer Fred Rose and his band.
Maceo Pinkard was an American composer, lyricist, and music publisher. Among his compositions is "Sweet Georgia Brown", a popular standard for decades after its composition and famous as the theme of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.
This is a timeline of music in the United States from 1880 to 1919.
Leopold Feist, was a pioneer in the popular music publishing business. In 1897, Feist founded and ran a music publishing firm bearing his name. In the 1920s, at the height of the golden age of popular music, his firm was among the seven largest publishers of popular music in the world. The company used the motto "You can't go wrong, with any FEIST Song."
Waterson, Berlin & Snyder, Inc. was, during the 1920s, one of the largest music publishers of popular sheet music in the country. The firm was based in New York City. What began as the Ted Snyder Company in 1908 evolved into Waterson, Berlin & Snyder, Inc., in 1917 when its founder, Ted Snyder (1881–1965), took on two partners – Henry Waterson (1873–1933) and Irving Berlin (1888–1989). Berlin had been Ted Snyder's staff lyricist since 1909.
T. B. Harms & Francis, Day, & Hunter, Inc., based in the Tin Pan Alley area of New York City, was one of the seven largest publishers of popular music in the world in 1920. T. B. Harms & Francis, Day & Hunter, Inc. was one of seven defendants named in a 1920 Sherman antitrust suit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice for controlling 80% of the music publishing business. The seven defendants were:
The period from the end of the First World War until the start of the Depression in 1929 is known as the "Jazz Age". Jazz had become popular music in America, although older generations considered the music immoral and threatening to cultural values. Dances such as the Charleston and the Black Bottom were very popular during the period, and jazz bands typically consisted of seven to twelve musicians. Important orchestras in New York were led by Fletcher Henderson, Paul Whiteman and Duke Ellington. Many New Orleans jazzmen had moved to Chicago during the late 1910s in search of employment; among others, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Jelly Roll Morton recorded in the city. However, Chicago's importance as a center of jazz music started to diminish toward the end of the 1920s in favor of New York.
Nathan "Ned" Miller was a British-born American songwriter, composer, music publisher, and actor who wrote the hit songs, "Why Should I Cry Over You", in 1922, "Sunday" in 1926, and "Little Joe" in 1931. His music has been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Al Jolson, Carmen McRae, Stan Getz, Peggy Lee, the Ink Spots, Johnny Mercer, Benny Goodman, Andy Williams, and many others. His music has also been featured in weekly TV programs and films. In 1982, Ned Miller was inducted into the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Golden Circle after having been a member for fifty years.
Frank Henri Klickmann, was a composer, songwriter, musician, and arranger of music from the 1900s to the 1940s. He composed over a hundred songs, such as "Knockout Drops" (1910), "Dynamite Rag" (1913), "Sing Me the Rosary" (1913), "The Squirrel Rag" (1913), "Hysterics Rag" (1914) and "Sweet Hawaiian Moonlight" (1918). During the 1920s, he was employed by Jack Mills Music, Inc. Orchestral arrangements from this time include "The Vamp", "Walkin' the Dog", "Don't You Remember the Time?", and "Kitten on the Keys".
Clarence Gaskill was an American composer and lyricist active during the 1920s to early 1930s. His most well-known songs include, Doo-Wacka-Doo (1921). I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me (1926), and Prisoner of Love (1932). His first hit came in 1919 with I Love You Just the Same, Sweet Adeline.
"Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo?" is a song composed by Al Dubin, Irving Mills, Jimmy McHugh and Irwin Dash in 1924 and published by Jack Mills, Inc. It is a sequel to the popular World War I song, "Mademoiselle from Armentières," having the same refrain.
Robert A. King was a prolific early twentieth century American composer, who wrote under pen names including the pen names, Mary Earl, Robert A. Keiser, and Betty Chapin.
Jack Mills, born Jacob Minsky, was a Russian-born American music publisher and songwriter. He immigrated to the United States at the age of five and grew up in New York City. His first job in the field of music was as a Tin Pan Alley "song plugger"; selling sheet music by playing songs on the piano for customers for a variety of music publishing firms in Manhattan. He ultimately became manager of the McCarthy & Fisher music publishing house prior to establishing his own company.