Florence Mills

Florence Mills ( born January 25, 1896 in Washington, DC as Florence Winfrey, † November 1, 1927 in New York City ) was an African American singer and dancer, known as " Queen of Jazz" and "Queen of Happiness". She was the first black star on Broadway until then white.

Biography

Mills was the daughter of former slaves Nellie (nee Simon ) and John Winfrey in a Washington slum to the world. Even as a small child, she performed at dance competitions and entertainment. In 1903 she sang for the first time in a stage show. A little later she went about with a vaudeville troupe. Because of her young age, she was arrested and sent to a reformatory. Her family moved to New York, where Mills for some time attended a regular school.

From 1910 she was with her sisters Olivia and Maude to see under the name " The Mills Sisters" in shows. They toured much of the United States. After her sisters had retired from the stage, stepped on Florence Mills 1915 Kinky Caldwell until they got married. In 1916 she formed with Bricktop and Cora Green, the " Panama Trio ," which has enjoyed success in Chicago.

1917 Mills member of the jazz group "The Tennessee Ten", the dance leader Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson her partner was. While Thompson had to do his military service in Europe, there was a successful reunification of the Panama Trio with Carolyn Williams instead of Bricktop. 1919 Mills went back to the Tennesse Ten. Soon after, she had initial success as a soloist, and Kid Thompson became their manager. They moved in 1921 to New York and married.

1922 Florence Mills got their own Broadway show that made ​​her a superstar. In London, the show was celebrated. The success stopped in the following years. Their song I'm a Little Blackbird looking for a Bluebird regarded as barely veiled protest against racial discrimination, with Mills also as a star was constantly confronted.

1926 Mills went with their show Blackbirds in France and England on tour. In London, a real Blackbirds mania broke out. The show was staged in London alone over 250 times.

Exhausted went Mills and Thompson in August 1927 according to Baden-Baden for a cure. Back in America, Florence Mills fell ill with tuberculosis. She died on 1 November after an operation for appendicitis. At her funeral in Harlem was attended by 150,000 people.