The group was originally composed of four brothers all born in Piqua, Ohio: John Jr (1911-1936) basso and guitarist, Herbert (1912-1989) tenor, Harry (1913-1982) baritone, and Donald (1915-1999) lead tenor. Their father owned a barber's 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 shop 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, but 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 practised 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 theatre 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 ability to imitate musical instruments with their voices.
In 1928, after playing May's Opera House in Piqua between Rin Tin Tin features, the brothers accompanied the Harold Greenameyer Band to Cincinnati for an audition with radio station WLW. The band was not hired, but the Mills brothers were. With the help of Seger Ellis, WLW Cincinnati D.J. and a music legend of the 1920s, they quickly became local radio stars and got their major break when Duke Ellington and his Orchestra played a date in Cincinnati. When the youngsters sang for Duke, he called Tommy Rockwell at Okeh Records, who signed them and took the group to New York.
In September 1930, Ralph Wonders urged broadcasting executive William S. Paley, at CBS Radio in New York, to turn on his office speaker and listen to an audition of four young men. For the audition they were "The Mills Brothers", but they had been known by many other names. They were billed as "The Steamboat Four" when they sang for Sohio, and had been called the "Four Boys and a Guitar" on their Sunday shows. When Paley heard their performance, he immediately went downstairs and put them on the air. The next day, the Mills Brothers signed a three-year contract and became the first black group to have a network show on radio.
Their first recording for Brunswick Records, a cover of the Original Dixieland Jass Band standard "Tiger Rag" became a nationwide best-seller and a number-one hit on the charts in a version with lyrics by Harry DaCosta. Other hits followed: "Goodbye Blues", their theme song, "Nobody's Sweetheart", "Ole Rockin' Chair", "Lazy River", "How'm I Doin'", and others. They remained on Brunswick until late 1934, when they signed with Decca, where they stayed well into the 1950s. On all of their Brunswick records, as well as the early Deccas, the label stated:
"No musical instruments or mechanical devices used on this recording other than one guitar."
They were a hit on CBS in 1930–1931, particularly when they co-starred on the widely popular The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour hosted by Rudy Vallee. They had their own popular radio series in 1932–1933, one of the earliest built around a black act, billed as the "Four Boys and a Guitar". Before their show announcers commonly explained to listeners that the only instrument was a guitar, as the vocal effects made many listeners think they were hearing a muted trumpet, saxophone, and string bass or tuba.
The Mills Brothers were sponsored by some of the largest advertisers in early radio; Standard Oil, Procter & Gamble, Crisco, and Crosley Radio. They began appearing in films. Their first, The Big Broadcast (1932) was an all-star radio revue that included Bing Crosby, Cab Calloway, and the Boswell Sisters. They also made three "bouncing ball" cartoon shorts for the Fleischer Brothers. In 1934, the brothers starred with Crosby for Woodbury Soap, and recorded their classics "Lazy Bones", "Sweet Sue", "Lulu's Back in Town", "Bye-Bye Blackbird", "Sleepy Head", and "Shoe Shine Boy". Their film appearances included Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934) and Broadway Gondolier (1935).
In 1934, The Mills Brothers became the first U.S. black musicians to give a command performance before British royalty. They performed at the Regal Theatre for a special audience: King George V, Queen Mary, and their mother. While performing in England, John Jr became ill. It took him months to recover from battling pneumonia. Before he was completely well, the brothers returned to England. John Jr once again became sick and died at the beginning of 1936.
The remaining brothers considered breaking up, but their mother told them John Jr would have wanted them to continue. They followed her suggestion and their father, John Sr, replaced John Jr as the baritone and tuba. At this time, Norman Brown joined the Brothers as their guitar player.
Through 1939 the group enjoyed remarkable success in Europe. In the period between John Jr's death and their return to the States, they re-recorded "Lazy River". It was followed by "Someday You'll Want Me to Want You", "Swing Is the Thing", "Long about Midnight", "Organ Grinder's Swing", and "The Song is Ended". They honoured Duke Ellington with a swing version of his "Caravan", and then produced a series of classic recordings: "South of the Border", which they performed in a tour of South America, along with "Ain't Misbehavin'", "It Don’t Mean a Thing", "Jeepers Creepers", "Three Little Fishies", and "Basin Street Blues".
During this era, there was also a brief time when the group performed with a non‑family singer. Gene Smith served as a stand-in for one year when Harry was drafted into the Army. Although Smith's solo singing did not particularly resemble the group's usual sound, he was able to harmonise well until the fourth brother's return. Smith is very noticeable in a number of the Mills Brothers' film appearances.
Returning to the States, the Brothers were anxious for a hit and recorded "I'll be Around" in 1943. Donald Mills chose "Paper Doll" as the B-side of the record. "I'll Be Around" became a popular hit, then a disk jockey turned the record over. "Paper Doll", recorded in fifteen minutes, sold six million copies and became the group's biggest hit.
The rise of rock and roll in the early 1950s did little to decrease the Mills Brothers' popularity. "Glow Worm" jumped to number one on the pop charts in 1952. The track also reached number ten in the U.K. singles chart in January 1953. "Opus One", an updated version of the Tommy Dorsey hit, was soon in the charts as well, followed by "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You", "The Jones Boy", "Yellow Bird", "Standing on the Corner", and "If I Had My Way".
In 1957, John Sr, who was then sixty-eight, stopped touring with the group. As a trio, the Mills Brothers were frequent guests on The Jack Benny Show, The Perry Como Show, The Tonight Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, The Dean Martin Show, and The Hollywood Palace. A move from Decca to Dot Records brought a moderate 1958 hit, a cover of the Silhouettes' "Get a Job" that made explicit the considerable influence on doo-wop that the early Mills Brothers records had exerted. The Mills Brothers also charted "Yellow Bird" two years before Arthur Lyman's top-ten hit remake.
"Cab Driver", recorded in 1968, was their last hit. It was written by songwriter C. Carson Parks, who also wrote "Somethin' Stupid", a hit the previous year for Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy.
The Mills Brothers' fiftieth anniversary in show business was celebrated in 1976 with a tribute at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, hosted by Bing Crosby. At the time, Harry was now almost blind as a result of diabetes.
As a trio, Herbert, Harry, and Donald continued performing on the oldies circuit until Harry's death in 1982. Herbert and Donald continued until Herbert's death in 1989. Then Donald began performing with the third generation of the family, his son, John III. In 1998 the Recording Academy recognised the Mills family's contributions to popular music when it presented Donald, as the sole surviving member, with a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
After Donald's death of pneumonia on the 13th November 1999, John III began touring under the name "The Mills Brothers" with Elmer Hopper, who had previously sung lead with Paul Robi's Platters.
Altogether, the group recorded more than 2,000 recordings, selling more than fifty million copies and gaining them at least three dozen gold records. The Mills Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Across the Alley From Alamo
The Mills Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lived a pinto pony and a Navajo
Who sang a sort of Indian "hi-de-ho"
To the people passin' by
The pinto spent his time a-swishin' flies
And the Navajo watched the lazy skies
And very rarely did they ever rest their eyes
One day, they went a walkin' along the railroad track
They were swishin' not a-lookin' Toot! Toot!, they never came back
Oh, across the alley from the Alamo
When the summer sun decides to settle low
A fly sings an Indian "Hi-de-ho"
To the people passing by
Across the alley from the Alamo
Lived a pinto pony and a Navajo
Who used to bake frijoles in cornmeal dough
For the people passing by
They thought that they would make some easy bucks
By washin' their frijoles in Duz and Lux
A pair of very conscientious clucks
To the people passin' by
Then they took this cheap vacation, their shoes were polished bright
No, they never heard the whistle, Toot! Toot! They're clear out of sight
Oh, across the alley from the Alamo
When the starlight beams its tender glow
The beams go to sleep and then there ain't no dough
For the people passin' by
One day, they went a walkin' along the railroad track
They were swishin' not a-lookin' Toot! Toot!, they never came back
Oh, across the alley from the Alamo
When the summer sun decides to settle low
A fly sings an Indian "Hi-de-ho"
To the people passin' by
Across the alley from the Alamo
The Mills Brothers's song "Across the Alley from the Alamo" is a playful tune that features a pinto pony and a Navajo who live across the alley from the Alamo. The two characters are seen swatting flies and gazing at the sky as people pass them by. They sing a sort of Indian "hi-de-ho" to greet the people as they pass. However, one day, the pinto and the Navajo go for a walk along the railroad track and fail to return. The song suggests that they might have been hit by a train, represented by the sound of a whistle or a "Toot! Toot!" that is heard twice throughout the song.
The lyrics of the song also describe how the pinto and the Navajo used to bake frijoles, a traditional Mexican dish made with beans and cornmeal dough, and sell them to people who passed by. However, they try to improve their earnings by washing their frijoles with Duz and Lux, two popular laundry detergents at the time. This decision shows their naïveté, as they do not understand the impact of using chemicals on food products. They end up taking a "cheap vacation" and disappear just like before.
Overall, "Across the Alley from the Alamo" is a whimsical song that captures the innocence and simplicity of life in the alley. The lyrics suggest that life is best enjoyed by taking things as they come and enjoying the company of others.
Line by Line Meaning
Across the alley from the Alamo
There was a place near the Alamo where something interesting happened
Lived a pinto pony and a Navajo
A pony and a Navajo person lived there
Who sang a sort of Indian "hi-de-ho"
The Navajo sang a traditional Indian song, commonly known as "hi-de-ho"
To the people passin' by
The song was for anyone who happened to walk by
The pinto spent his time a-swishin' flies
The pony spent most of its time trying to get rid of flies
And the Navajo watched the lazy skies
The Navajo person enjoyed watching the sky
And very rarely did they ever rest their eyes
They were always busy with something and rarely took a break
On the people passin' by
They didn't pay much attention to the people walking by
One day, they went a walkin' along the railroad track
One day, they decided to take a walk along the railroad line
They were swishin' not a-lookin' Toot! Toot!, they never came back
While they were walking, they were swishing flies and didn't notice the train coming. They never came back after that
When the summer sun decides to settle low
During the evening when the sun is setting
A fly sings an Indian "Hi-de-ho"
A fly sings the same Indian song that the Navajo used to sing
Who used to bake frijoles in cornmeal dough
The Navajo used to bake beans in cornmeal dough
For the people passing by
They would make and sell the beans to anyone walking by
They thought that they would make some easy bucks
They thought they could make a lot of money with this business
By washin' their frijoles in Duz and Lux
To clean the beans, they used the laundry detergents Duz and Lux
A pair of very conscientious clucks
They were hardworking and caring individuals
Then they took this cheap vacation, their shoes were polished bright
They went on a cheap vacation and looked very neat and tidy
No, they never heard the whistle, Toot! Toot! They're clear out of sight
They didn't hear the train whistle and disappeared from sight
When the starlight beams its tender glow
During nighttime when the stars are shining
The beams go to sleep and then there ain't no dough
They couldn't sell their beans anymore once it got dark and the customers went to sleep
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOE GREENE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@monkegaming709
My 90-year-old teacher showed me this, now I'm obsessed with this era of music.
@idont888
My father played this song when we would take trips to my mother's hometown in North Carolina. I'm 63 my youngest sister who's 53 , knows this song any many more. Thanks Dad. He was shocked when he was in his mid 80's to realize all his kids knew these song's. Not just know them but had them on the phone he just smiled 😃.
@bicparker9275
What, no comments? This is one of the great songs of the 40s.
@CPorter
Agreed
@backlash660
When my daughter was a baby this was one of the songs we used to soothe her whenever she was upset . I have loved it ever since .
@jenlealin3503
My grandma used to sing this when i was a little girl. It took forever to find this song. So glad to hear it.
@myers598
I was introduced to these guys by my grandpa around the year of 2000 when I was in my 20s. These guys and the Ink spots are great artists! I know their songs by heart!
@judyfrancis4515
Look up and listen to the Ames Brothers
Same lovely music with terrific harmonies!
@CamilaLara-xv5sy
Amo esta canción
Gracias
@davidtodora6173
What an oddly done song. My mother was born the the year this song came out. Thanks