January 25, 1896 - November 1, 1927

• Florence Mills (born Florence Winfrey) 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, or better still, read  The Book !  

While Florence Mills had many hit songs written for her, her first sensational hit was the Shuffle Along number "I'm Craving for that Kind of Love".  Her cheeky way of putting over this sultry number enthralled audiences and raised them to heights of excitement.  Here a young YouTube star of today gives a very creditable impression of how Florence Mills might have sounded doing her specialty number.  Here is Susuemikado on YouTube with:

I'm Craving for that Kind of Love

                                                                Florence Mills: Month by Month
                                                                  ^February               
    
        1910    Playing Grand Theatre, Fishkill, N.Y. With the Mills Sisters
          1918    Name first linked romantically with Kid Thompson
          1920    Rejoins Tennessee Ten & Kid Thompson in Chicago
         1921    With Tennessee Ten in Folly Town at Casino Theatre Philadelphia
         1922    Opens in Broadway show Plantation Revue  - First black female !
         1923    Plays hometown Harlem at Lafayette Theatre in Plantation Revue
         1924    Florence & Kid receive  Steinway Baby Grand at new Harlem home
         1924    Plantation Revue plays Harlem again at Lafayette
         1925    Full page portrait appears in Vanity Fair – first black person ever!
         1925    In Dixie to Broadway at Lyric Theatre, Philadelphia
         1926    Gives interview denying play Lulu Belle is based on her life
         1927    Shares British charity concert bill with the great Gracie Fields

          

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
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