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.
The Glow Worm
The Mills Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Lead us lest too far we wander
Love's sweet voice is calling yonder
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Hey, there don't get dimmer, dimmer
Light the path below, above
Glow little glow-worm, fly of fire
Glow like an incandescent wire
Glow for the female of the species
Turn on the AC and the DC
This night could use a little brightnin'
Light up you little ol' bug of lightnin'
When you gotta glow, you gotta glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow and glimmer
Swim through the sea of night, little swimmer
Thou aeronautical boll weevil
Illuminate yon woods primeval
See how the shadows deep and darken
You and your chick should get to sparkin'
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, turn the key on
You are equipped with tailight neon
You got a cute vest-pocket Mazda
Which you can make both slow and fazda
I don't know who you took a shine to
Or who you're out to make a sign to
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
"The Glow Worm" is a sweet and playful tune that is sung in a duet style between two singers that take turns singing the different verses. In the song, the singers are addressing a little glow-worm, urging it to "shine" and "glimmer" as it illuminates their path through the dark night. The lyrics express a sense of longing and a desire to follow the glow-worm to wherever it may lead them. They also suggest that the light of the glow-worm is a symbol for the love that is calling the singers "yonder."
The song also contains some humorous elements, particularly in the lines "Glow for the female of the species/Turn on the AC and the DC/This night could use a little brightnin'/Light up you little ol' bug of lightnin'," which suggest that the glow-worm is being encouraged to turn up the electricity and attract a mate. The song ends with repeated pleas for the glow-worm to keep glowing and leading the singers towards love.
Line by Line Meaning
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Hey little worm, please shine and give a glimpse of light
Lead us lest too far we wander
Guide us and ensure we don't stray too far
Love's sweet voice is calling yonder
Love beckons and we must listen to its call
Hey, there don't get dimmer, dimmer
Keep shining with the same intensity and don't fade away
Light the path below, above
Illuminate the way for us to follow, wherever it leads us
And lead us on to love!
Guide us towards finding love and happiness
Glow little glow-worm, fly of fire
Little worm that emits light, fly high and bright
Glow like an incandescent wire
Shine as bright as a wire heated to incandescence
Glow for the female of the species
Emit your light to attract the female worms of your kind
Turn on the AC and the DC
Utilize both AC and DC power sources to shimmer brighter
This night could use a little brightnin'
The darkness of this night needs to be dispelled
Light up you little ol' bug of lightnin'
Shine and light up the environment, O small lightning bug
When you gotta glow, you gotta glow
When it's your time to shine, show your light bright and bold
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Emit your bright light, little worm!
Swim through the sea of night, little swimmer
Move through the darkness like a small swimmer in the sea
Thou aeronautical boll weevil
You are an insect who knows how to fly like an airplane
Illuminate yon woods primeval
Light up the ancient woods over there
See how the shadows deep and darken
Observe how the shadows grow stronger and darker
You and your chick should get to sparkin'
You and your partner should get intimate in the warm glow of the light
I got a gal that I love so
I have a special woman in my life whom I cherish
Glow little glow-worm, turn the key on
Shimmer brightly, turn on the switch
You are equipped with tailight neon
You have neon lights attached to your tail that make you shine brighter
You got a cute vest-pocket Mazda
You have a small and charming car like a Mazda in your pocket
Which you can make both slow and fazda
You can control the speed of your car and make it go both slow and fast
I don't know who you took a shine to
I don't know whom you've taken a liking to
Or who you're out to make a sign to
Or to whom you're trying to send a signal
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Emit your bright light, little worm!
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Emit your bright light, little worm!
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Emit your bright light, little worm!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HEINRICH BOLTEN BAECKERS, PAUL LINCKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bendaysmix
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Lead us lest too far we wander
Love's sweet voice is calling yonder
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Hey, there don't get dimmer, dimmer
Light the path below, above
And lead us on to love!
Glow little glow-worm, fly of fire
Glow like an incandescent wire
Glow for the female of the species
Turn on the AC and the DC
This night could use a little brightnin'
Light up you little ol' bug of lightnin'
When you gotta glow, you gotta glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow and glimmer
Swim through the sea of night, little swimmer
Thou aeronautical boll weevil
Illuminate yon woods primeval
See how the shadows deep and darken
You and your chick should get to sparkin'
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, turn the key on
You are equipped with tailight neon
You got a cute vest-pocket Mazda
Which you can make both slow and fazda
I don't know who you took a shine to
Or who you're out to make a sign to
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
@sauquoit13456
In the December 6th, 1952 issue of Billboard Magazine, "Glow Worm" by the Mills Brothers reached #1 on the magazine's Most Played on Juke Boxes chart, for the previous thirty-five consecutive weeks the #1 spot was held by a female artist:
"Wheel of Fortune" by Kay Starr {for 10 weeks*}
"I Went To Your Wedding" by Patti Page {for 10 weeks}
"Kiss of Fire" by Georgia Gibbs {for 6 weeks}
"Half As Much" by Rosemary Clooney {for 4 weeks*}
"Auf Wiedershe'n" by Vera Lynn {for 4 weeks}
"Guy Is A Guy" by Doris Day {for 1 week}
"You Belong To Me" by Jo Stafford {for 1 week}
* Denotes non-consecutive weeks at #1...
@Doodlebugthegoldenhamster
Wow.... with vocal chords like that, Cole's father must have sounded just like them!
Just imagine Cole as a baby and his daddy singing him that song... that is too precious! >w<
@ComicDubStudios
This..... This comment is too precious
@justarandomfurbywithakitch903
r/wholesome
@mingiprincess
Awhh wait i’m soft sksjsjs
@lordgarmadon2598
It does seem like the kind of song the Royal Black Smiths would preform live.
@amydove2349
Omggg aww it so so adorbale when cole sang it to the baby
@cristyrodas
A huge thanks to Cole! I would like to thank Ninjago for bringing me here!!
@jewishbaker
Same here love it!!
@olgasansone2805
Same Ahah
@GREGAR.3199
Lol same❤️❤️