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.
El Paso
The Mills Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fell in love with a Mexican girl.
Nighttime would find me in Rose's Cantina,
Music would play and Felina would whirl.
Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina,
Wicked and evil while casting a spell.
My love was strong for this Mexican maiden,
One night a wild young cowboy came in,
Wild as the West Texas wind
Dashing and daring, a drink he was sharing,
With wicked Felina, the girl that I love.
So in anger
I challenged his right for the love of this maiden;
Down went his hand for the gun that he wore.
My challenge was answered, in less than a heartbeat
The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor.
Just for a moment I stood there in silence,
Shocked by the foul evil deed I had done.
Many thoughts ran through my mind as I stood there;
I had but one chance and that was to run.
Out through the back door of Rose's I ran,
Out where the horses were tied
I caught a good one; he looked like he could run,
Up on his back and away I did ride.
Just as fast as
I could from the West Texas town of El Paso,
Out thru the badlands of New Mexico.
Back in El Paso my life would be worthless;
Everything's gone in life nothing is left.
But it's been so long since I've seen the young maiden,
My love is stronger that my fear of death.
(Nothing's missing. It really is only half a verse.)
I saddled up and away I did go,
Riding alone in the dark
Maybe tomorrow a bullet may find me,
Tonight nothing's worse than this pain in my heart.
And as last here
I am on the hill overlooking El Paso,
I can see Rose's Cantina below.
My love is strong and it pushes me onward,
Down off the hill to Felina I go.
Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys,
Off to my left ride a dozen or more.
Shouting and shooting; I can't let them catch me,
I've got to make it to Rose's back door.
Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel
A deep burning pain in my side
It's getting harder to stay in the saddle.
I'm getting weary, unable to ride.
But my love for
Felina is strong and I rise where I've fallen;
Though I am weary, I can't stop to rest.
I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle,
I feel the bullet go deep in my chest.
From out of nowhere, Felina has found me,
Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side.
Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for,
One little kiss and Felina goodbye.
The lyric "El Paso" is a tragic love story that took place in a Western town in Texas. The singer falls in love with a Mexican girl named Felina, whom he frequently visits at Rose's Cantina. The singer describes Felina as having eyes blacker than night and is both wicked and evil. Despite this, his love for Felina is strong, but he can tell that it is in vain. One night, a young cowboy arrives at the cantina, and he and Felina drinks together. This enrages the singer, who challenges the cowboy to a duel. The cowboy draws his gun first, but the singer is quicker and kills him. The singer quickly flees, knowing his life is worthless in the town of El Paso.
The singer is later seen on a hill overlooking El Paso, where he gazes at Rose's Cantina below. He then decides to go back to Felina, but he faces the obstacle of encountering a group of cowboys. As he attempts to flee, he suffers a gunshot wound and becomes feeble in his horse. Nonetheless, he soldiers on with the hope of seeing Felina one last time. As he arrives, Felina appears and delivers a final kiss. The singer dies as he is cradled in her arms.
Overall, "El Paso" paints a picture of fatalism and tragic love. The singer falls in love with a woman who is, in many ways, unworthy of his devotion, leading to a sorrowful conclusion.
Line by Line Meaning
Out in the West Texas town of El Paso
The story takes place in El Paso, a town in western Texas.
I fell in love with a Mexican girl.
The singer fell in love with a girl from Mexico.
Nighttime would find me in Rose's Cantina,
The singer often spent his nights in a bar called Rose's Cantina.
Music would play and Felina would whirl.
Felina would dance to the music played in Rose's Cantina.
Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina,
Felina had very dark eyes.
Wicked and evil while casting a spell.
Felina had a wicked and evil presence, almost as if she was trying to seduce the singer.
My love was strong for this Mexican maiden,
The singer loved Felina very much.
I was in love, but in vain I could tell.
The artist sensed that his love for Felina was not reciprocated.
One night a wild young cowboy came in,
A cowboy entered Rose's Cantina one night.
Wild as the West Texas wind
The cowboy was very wild and unpredictable.
Dashing and daring, a drink he was sharing,
The cowboy was very confident and sociable, and even shared a drink with Felina.
With wicked Felina, the girl that I love.
The artist was upset to see Felina with the cowboy.
So in anger
The singer became angry.
I challenged his right for the love of this maiden;
The singer challenged the cowboy's right to be with Felina.
Down went his hand for the gun that he wore.
The cowboy reached for his gun.
My challenge was answered, in less than a heartbeat
The cowboy quickly responded to the artist's challenge.
The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor.
The artist killed the cowboy.
Just for a moment I stood there in silence,
The singer was stunned by what he had done.
Shocked by the foul evil deed I had done.
The singer was horrified by his own actions.
Many thoughts ran through my mind as I stood there;
The artist was deep in thought.
I had but one chance and that was to run.
The artist knew that he had to flee the scene.
Out through the back door of Rose's I ran,
The artist quickly left Rose's Cantina through the back door.
Out where the horses were tied
The singer went to where the horses were tied up.
I caught a good one; he looked like he could run,
The artist found a good horse that was fast.
Up on his back and away I did ride.
The singer rode away on the horse.
Just as fast as
The singer rode as fast as he could.
I could from the West Texas town of El Paso,
The singer left El Paso as quickly as possible.
Out thru the badlands of New Mexico.
The artist traveled through the badlands of New Mexico.
Back in El Paso my life would be worthless;
The artist believed that he could never return to El Paso.
Everything's gone in life nothing is left.
The singer had lost everything, and felt that he had nothing left to live for.
But it's been so long since I've seen the young maiden,
The singer had not seen Felina in a long time.
My love is stronger that my fear of death.
The artist loved Felina so much that he was willing to risk his life to be with her.
I saddled up and away I did go,
The artist prepared to leave again.
Riding alone in the dark
The artist rode alone in the dark.
Maybe tomorrow a bullet may find me,
The singer knew that he could be killed at any moment.
Tonight nothing's worse than this pain in my heart.
The artist's love for Felina was causing him great pain.
And as last here
Finally,
I am on the hill overlooking El Paso,
The singer is on a hill overlooking El Paso.
I can see Rose's Cantina below.
The singer can see Rose's Cantina from his vantage point.
My love is strong and it pushes me onward,
The artist's love for Felina is what drives him forward.
Down off the hill to Felina I go.
The artist prepares to go see Felina.
Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys,
The singer sees five cowboys riding towards him.
Off to my left ride a dozen or more.
The singer sees more cowboys on his left.
Shouting and shooting; I can't let them catch me,
The cowboys are chasing after the artist and shooting at him.
I've got to make it to Rose's back door.
The artist needs to get to the back door of Rose's Cantina.
Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel
The artist senses that something is wrong.
A deep burning pain in my side
The singer has been shot.
It's getting harder to stay in the saddle.
The artist is finding it difficult to ride due to his injury.
I'm getting weary, unable to ride.
The singer is becoming exhausted and is struggling to ride.
But my love for
Despite everything that's happening,
Felina is strong and I rise where I've fallen;
The singer's love for Felina gives him the strength to continue on, even after being shot.
Though I am weary, I can't stop to rest.
The artist knows that he can't stop or he'll be caught by the cowboys.
I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle,
The artist sees the smoke from the cowboy's rifle.
I feel the bullet go deep in my chest.
The singer is shot in the chest.
From out of nowhere, Felina has found me,
Felina suddenly appears beside the singer.
Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side.
Felina kneels beside the artist and kisses him.
Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for,
The artist is cradled by Felina's loving arms.
One little kiss and Felina goodbye.
The artist shares one final kiss with Felina before he dies.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Marty Robbins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind