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.
Shoe Shine Boy
The Mills Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't envy any boys
Every day's a work day,
Your work is just a game
I'd like to sing your praise
but I don't know your name
You're just a shoe shine boy
Shoe shine boy
Got no time to play
Every nickel helps a lot
So shine, shine, shoe shine boy.
You find joy in the things you do
Shoe shine boy seldom ever blue
You're content with what you've got
So shine, shine, shoe shine boy.
People look at you with scorn
'cos your clothes are worn and torn
Still you never whine
You keep looking up and down the street
Pleading with each one you meet
Brother can you spare a shine.
Oh, Shoe shine boy soon the day will come
Shoe shine boy soon a tune you'll hum
Every nickel helps a lot
So shine, shine, shoe shine boy.
Shoe shine, shoe shine boy
The Mills Brothers's song Shoe Shine Boy is an ode to the power of hard work, contentment, and perseverance in the face of adversity. The song tells the story of a shoe shine boy who works hard every day, shining shoes to make ends meet. Although he may not have many toys or enviable possessions, he does not envy any other boys because his work is just a game to him. The singer of the song wants to sing his praises but doesn't even know his name.
The shoe shine boy finds joy in his job and is seldom ever blue. He is content with what he has and every nickel he makes helps him to survive. The people around him look at him with scorn because his clothes are worn and torn, but he never whines or complains. He just keeps looking up and down the street, pleading with each person he meets: "Brother, can you spare a shine?" The shoe shine boy knows that soon the day will come when he will hum a tune and every nickel he has saved will help him to achieve his dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Though you haven't many toys
Even though you do not have a lot of toys
You don't envy any boys
You do not feel jealous of other boys
Every day's a work day,
You work every single day
Your work is just a game
You enjoy your job as if it were just a game
I'd like to sing your praise
I want to praise you
but I don't know your name
but I do not know what to call you
You're just a shoe shine boy
You are a boy who shines shoes
You work hard all day
You work hard every day
Shoe shine boy
A nickname that people call you
Got no time to play
You do not have any free time
Every nickel helps a lot
Even a small amount of money is helpful
So shine, shine, shoe shine boy.
So shine those shoes, shoe shine boy
You find joy in the things you do
You experience happiness through your work
Shoe shine boy seldom ever blue
You are rarely sad, shoe shine boy
You're content with what you've got
You are satisfied with what you have
So shine, shine, shoe shine boy.
So keep on shining shoes, shoe shine boy
People look at you with scorn
People view you with reproach
'cos your clothes are worn and torn
Because your clothing is old and ragged
Still you never whine
You never complain
You keep looking up and down the street
You continue to search up and down the street
Pleading with each one you meet
Begging everyone you encounter
Brother can you spare a shine.
Brother, can you give me some money for shining your shoes?
Oh, Shoe shine boy soon the day will come
Oh, shoe shine boy, the day will arrive soon
Shoe shine boy soon a tune you'll hum
Shoe shine boy, soon you'll be humming a tune
Every nickel helps a lot
Even a small amount of money is very useful
So shine, shine, shoe shine boy.
So keep on shining those shoes, shoe shine boy
Shoe shine, shoe shine boy
Shoe shine, shoe shine boy (repeated for emphasis)
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cynthiapickett8342
An early example of the evolution of the Mills Brothers signature sound.
@stevesillett
Brings back old memories as a kid at the Den.
@paintsylvania7357
I was there too ☻
@BorzoiDude7x7x7
Still a great song
@likekennyd
Hey,Hi, really great,-thanks for posting the lyrics!
@yamialucard8743
Shoe shine boy soon your day will come, Shoe shine boy soon you'll sing and hum ^-^
@ccaammiinniiito2
(Cont'd) There's a line in the song that goes, "Brother, can you SPARE a dime." Only Larry King can say the line. Never have so few words captured the pain of the Depression. Ivie does a good job with the famous line. I digress to say that while we still have King, that he narrate an update of the "Bonus Marches," the forerunner of 1963's March on Washington. And this is one song that should be featured in the updated documentary.
@zenobardot
In this recording, the line is sung twice (at 1:17 and 2:56), and both times it is sung "Brother, can you spare a *shine*. Not sure if your comment above had a typo regarding the more famous "spare a dime" line associated with the 1930 pop song. The pun version in this song...well, the whole song, words and music, are not the greatest examples of Sammy Cahn's or Saul Chaplin's work.
@cynthiapickett7403
Never heard this one before: an interesting account of Depression-era life.
@ccaammiinniiito2
I've heard this Depression Era song done by Ivie Anderson. Good social commentary in it.