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.
Out For No Good
The Mills Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby what am I in for
Is my baby out for no good
Is my baby got rhythm
Tell me is it hot rhythm
Is my baby out for no good
In the park in the dark
Why do we park a car
What's an eight o'clock date for
What do we stay out late for
Is my baby out for no good
Cause I could do you good
If my baby is out for no good
Is my baby out for no good
Cos I could do you good
If my baby is out for
No good
No good
No good
No good
The Mills Brothers's song "Out For No Good" is a playful, upbeat tune that plays on the double-meaning of the phrase "out for no good." The lyrics center around the singer's uncertainty about his partner's intentions and desires, posing questions like "Baby what are you out for" and "Is my baby out for no good?" The refrain of "Is my baby out for no good" is perhaps the most telling line of the song, as it suggests a suspicion or mistrust of the singer's partner.
The lyrics also touch on themes of temptation and desire, with references to moonlit nights, parking cars in the dark, and the allure of hot rhythm. The singer ponders why people stay out late, and questions whether his partner is "out for no good" in a playful but slightly confrontational way. Overall, the song is a fun and flirtatious take on the classic lovers' quandary, with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor thrown in for good measure.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby what are you out for
I want to know what my partner is planning to do or achieve.
Baby what am I in for
What kind of situation or experience am I going to have with my partner?
Is my baby out for no good
Am I worried that my partner is up to something bad or dishonest?
Is my baby got rhythm
Does my partner have a talent or knack for music (especially jazz)?
Tell me is it hot rhythm
Is my partner's musical ability really impressive or captivating to listen to?
Is my baby out for no good
Again, am I concerned that my partner might have bad intentions or do something wrong?
Mister Moon why does he wink at every star
Why is it that even when things are going wrong, people are still drawn to the beauty and mystery of the night sky?
In the park in the dark
Even in less-than-ideal situations (like being in a dark park), people will still do things like park a car or go on a date.
Why do we park a car
What's the point of doing something like parking a car, especially if it's late and dark outside?
What's an eight o'clock date for
When we plan a date for 8pm, what do we hope to get out of it or accomplish?
What do we stay out late for
In general, why do we feel the need to stay up later than we probably should? What do we hope will happen?
Is my baby out for no good
Again, the singer is asking if they should be worried about their partner's motivations or intentions.
Cause I could do you good
If, in fact, the singer's partner is up to something bad, they think they could be a better fit for them and could offer a better relationship experience.
If my baby is out for no good
The singer is repeating the same question they've been asking throughout the song - are they worried about their partner?
No good
The phrase is repeated several times at the end, emphasizing the singer's concern and doubt about their partner's intentions.
Contributed by Evelyn O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
youngwa
Baby what are you out for
Baby what am I in for
Is my baby out for no good
Is my baby got rhythm
Tell me is it hot rhythm
Is my baby out for no good
Mister Moon why does he wink at every star
In the park in the dark
Why do we park a car
What's an eight o'clock date for
What do we stay out late for
Is my baby out for no good
Cause I could do you good
If my baby is out for no good
Is my baby out for no good
Cos I could do you good
If my baby is out for
No good
No good
No good
No good
SatchmoSings
Recorded with ONE microphone on ONE track in ONE take; no limiters, no auto-tune; just five people making REAL music!!!!
The Dogg
1
Huko Llla
4.
Dr. Hamza
Same as today if u want to
Malo tonga
Cool thing is the singer in the middle his name is I think dick Powell he's their manger who signed them to a record deal thanks too his good friend Duke Ellington duke found the mills brothers while playing in a club n heard their act especially Harry's mouth trumpet, if you want to know the instruments their impersonating its, Herbert on left plays trumpet 1 low notes, Donald next to him plays trombone, Harry big guy plays trumpet 2 muted notes n their eldest brother who passed away early John Jr played tuba which was taken over by their father John sr later on, n if you notice the position they stood in they stood in the same positions till they was old because Harry said that's how they stayed in Harmony.
Maria Perez
They were great. You don't experience this kind of talent now days.
Julien Neel
What a masterpiece. I wish people nowadays encouraged this sort of music more, with excellent singing, solid work on harmonization, true refinement and elegance in delivery...
Michael alexander
A Cappella Trudbol julienne your real good on your acapella videos. Enjoy watching them
Cynthia Pickett
Don't worry--people worldwide are still forming vocal groups.
Kevin Lowry
People nowadays could care less about good music-they don’t even know what it is.
Thank the Lord for the Mills Bro’s.