January 25, 1896 - November 1, 1927

• Florence Mills was one of the greatest entertainers and singing, dancing jazz performers the world has ever seen.

• She was one of the all-time greatest stars of the black theatre, the first black international female superstar of the Twentieth century and a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance

• Florence Mills was steeped in the traditions of  African-based black music and black dance that gave the world the Spirituals ('sorrow songs'), the Blues, Ragtime, Jazz and the basis of much of today's popular culture

• She was also a truly lovable, charitable, socially and intellectually aware woman, who spoke out for the rights of her fellow African Americans.

• Florence Mills is largely forgotten and neglected today, mainly because the primitive recording techniques of the early twentieth century couldn't capture her remarkable voice, and she was never filmed, so no record of her performance remains.

• The purpose of this site is to help reclaim for her the status and respect her remarkable talents and heroic personality warrant, in the eyes of the world and of her fellow African-Americans, to whom she was so important in the 1920s.

•  Check the links below to learn about Florence Mills' true greatness, especially  The Book  

                                               Florence Mills: Month by Month
                                                      ^MAY            
   
    1900    Goes with local kids to Black Patti (Sissieretta Jones) matinee show in DC
   1913    Plays Fairyland Theatre, DC as member of the Mills Sisters
    1915    Plays Howard Theatre DC with partner Ethel "Kinky" Caldwell (Clark)
    1917    In support act for vaudeville great Nora Bayes at New York's 39th St Theatre
    1919    Plays Grand Theatre, Chicago with the Panama Trio 
    1920    With Tennessee Ten in hit show Folly Town, along with Bert Lahr &     Jack Haley
    1923    First black international female superstar in Dover Street to Dixie at London Pavilion, to royal
                acclaim
    1926    Opens in Blackbirds of 1926  at Les Ambassadeurs, Paris, co-starring with Paul Whiteman
    1927    Featured dancer at Paris dinner to honor Lindbergh after his epoch-making transatlantic flight
    1927    Opens in final London engagement of Blackbirds of 1927 at Strand Theatre

 

This site is presented by Bill Egan. To contact me or make suggestions (hopefully polite) e-mail me at: (replacing  [AT] with @  )
Bill[AT]FlorenceMills.com
For information on Florence Mills: Info[AT]FlorenceMills.com
Problems accessing content, or broken links etc: Webmaster[AT]FlorenceMills.com

If you need help finding your way around try the Site Map

This Greatest Entertainers Ring site is owned by Bill Egan. Click here for [ Prev | Skip It | Next 5 | Random | Next ] Want to join the Greatest Entertainers Ring? Click here for the info.