The Mills Blue Rhythm Band was an American

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

active during the 1930s.

History

The band was formed in New York City in 1930 by drummer Willie Lynch as the Blue Rhythm Band, and then briefly operated as the Coconut Grove Orchestra.

Irving Mills Irving Harold Mills (born Isadore Minsky; January 18, 1894 Odessa, Ukraine – April 21, 1985) was a music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz promoter. He often used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose. Personal life Mills ...

became its manager in 1931 and it subsequently assumed the name Mills Blue Rhythm Band. Compere Jimmy Ferguson (Baron Lee) replaced Lynch. Another brief leader, reeds player

Bingie Madison Bingie Madison (October 12, 1901 – July 1978) was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. Madison began his career as a pianist, based in Des Moines, Iowa, and then touring Canada and California in 1921. He played with Bobby Brown ( ...

, left at the time of the final name change. Over its lifetime, the group was known as the "Blue Rhythm Band", "Blue Ribbon Band", "Blue Rhythm Boys", "The Blue Racketeers", "Earl Jackson's Musical Champions", "Earl Jackson and his Orchestra", "Duke Wilson and his Ten Blackberries", "King Carter's Royal Orchestra", "Mills Music Masters", "Harlem Hot Shots". It accompanied

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

on some record sides. The Mills Blue Rhythm Band were based at The Cotton Club in Harlem. They worked steadily through the 1930s deputizing for the orchestra of

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

and

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

, often taking their undesirable engagements. Mills managed Ellington and Calloway as well.

Edgar Hayes Edgar Junius Hayes (May 23, 1902 – June 28, 1979) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, Hayes attended Wilberforce University, where he graduated with a degree in music in the early 1920s. ...

, Eddie Mallory and Dave Nelson all had temporary stints as band leader, until

Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing music, swing and rhythm and blues, rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang ...

permanently took over the role in 1934. The band recorded 150 sides for labels including Brunswick, Columbia, Victor, the ARC stable of labels (including Oriole,

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, Regal,

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

Banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

, Melotone,

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), Variety, and

Vocalion Vocalion Records is an American record label, originally founded by the Aeolian Company, a piano and organ manufacturer before being bought out by Brunswick in 1924. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pian ...

. Although a few of their records became hits (including "Truckin'" and "Ride, Red, Ride") and the MBRB had a lineup of talented soloists, the group never attained the prominence of their peers. This has been attributed to the lack of a single identifiable leader, and Irving Mills' preference to have the band perform an understudy role. By 1937, the group was billed as Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra and disbanded in 1938. Millinder joined

Bill Doggett William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk ...

's band before reforming it into his own orchestra in 1940. Irving Mills revived the Mills Blue Rhythm Band name for two recording sessions in 1947, under the guidance of

Van Alexander Van Alexander (May 2, 1915 – July 19, 2015) was an American bandleader, arranger, and composer. Early years Van Alexander was born Alexander Van Vliet Feldman in Harlem. His mother was a classical pianist, and she taught him to play the piano. ...

. The only original band member performing at either of the 1947 sessions was trumpeter

Charlie Shavers Charles James Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8, 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams, Tommy Dorsey, and Billie Holiday. He ...

Members

Red Allen Henry James "Red" Allen Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armst ...

– trumpet *

Hayes Alvis Hayes Alvis (May 1, 1907 – December 29, 1972) was an American jazz bassist and tuba player. Career Alvis began on drums but switched to tuba and bass after playing with Jelly Roll Morton in 1927–1928. He played tuba with Earl Hines from 192 ...

– double bass * Ed Anderson – trumpet * Harold Arnold – tenor saxophone *

Buster Bailey William C. "Buster" Bailey (July 19, 1902 – April 12, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist. Career history Early career Buster Bailey was taught clarinet by classical teacher Franz Schoepp, who also taught Benny Goodman. Bailey gained his st ...

– clarinet * Billy Banks *

Danny Barker Daniel Moses Barker (January 13, 1909 – March 13, 1994) was an American jazz musician, vocalist, and author from New Orleans. He was a rhythm guitarist for Cab Calloway, Lucky Millinder and Benny Carter during the 1930s. One of Barker's earli ...

– guitar * Alfred Cobbs – trombone *

Carroll Dickerson Carroll Dickerson (November 1, 1895 – October 9, 1957) was a Chicago and New York–based dixieland jazz violinist and bandleader, probably better known for his extensive work with Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines or his more brief work touri ...

– violin *

Harry "Sweets" Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard backi ...

– trumpet *

Joe Garland Joseph Copeland Garland (August 15, 1903, Norfolk, Virginia – April 21, 1977, Teaneck, New Jersey) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and arranger, best known for writing "In the Mood". Garland studied music at Shaw University and t ...

– tenor saxophone, arrangements *

– piano * Shelton Hemphill – trumpet *

J. C. Higginbotham J. (Jack) C. Higginbotham (May 11, 1906 – May 26, 1973) was an American jazz trombonist. His playing was robust and Swung note, swinging. Biography He was born in Social Circle, Georgia, United States, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. In t ...

– trombone * Alex Hill – piano *

Charlie Holmes Charlie Holmes (January 27, 1910 near Boston, Massachusetts – September 19, 1985 in Stoughton, Massachusetts) was an American alto jazz saxophonist of the swing era. He also played clarinet and oboe for the Boston Civic Symphony Orchestra in ...

– alto saxophone * Benny James – guitar * Elmer James – bass * Wardell Jones – trumpet *

Billy Kyle William Osborne Kyle (July 14, 1914 – February 23, 1966) was an American jazz pianist. He is perhaps best known as an accompanist. Biography Kyle was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He began playing the piano in school and ...

– piano * Baron Lee (Jimmy Ferguson) * Lawrence Lucie – guitar * Willie Lynch – drums *

– clarinet, tenor saxophone * Eddie Mallory – trumpet *

Castor McCord Castor "Cass" McCord (May 17, 1907 — February 14, 1963) was an American jazz saxophonist, born in Alabama's largest city, Birmingham, who, with his twin brother, clarinetist and alto saxophonist Ted McCord, started out, at age 17, as a member ...

– saxophone * Ted McCord – saxophone * Gene Mikell – clarinet, alto saxophone *

– bandleader *

Frankie Newton Frankie Newton ( William Frank Newton; January 4, 1906 – March 11, 1954) was an American jazz trumpeter from Emory, Virginia, United States. He played in several New York City bands in the 1920s and 1930s, including those led by Lloyd Scott, ...

– trumpet * Lester Nichols – drums * Wilbur de Paris – trombone *

– trumpet *

Tab Smith Talmadge "Tab" Smith (January 11, 1909 – August 17, 1971) was an American swing and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist. He is best remembered for the tracks " Because of You" and "Pretend". He worked with Count Basie, the Mills Rhythm Bo ...

– alto saxophone *

O'Neil Spencer William "O'Neil" Spencer (November 25, 1909 – July 24, 1944) was a jazz drummer and singer. He is most known for his work in the John Kirby Sextet. According to a Jazz Profiles Blogspot on 8 August 2008 and an interview with legendary jazz d ...

– drums * Bob Stephens *

Carl Warwick Carl Wayne Warwick (February 27, 1937 – April 5, 2025) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1961 to 1966 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Colt .45 ...

– trumpet *

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

– trombone *

Crawford Wethington Arthur Crawford Wethington (January 26, 1904 – September 11, 1994) was an American jazz saxophonist. He was born in Chicago and died in White Plains, New York. A graduate of the Chicago College of Music, Wethington worked under pianist Lot ...

– clarinet – alto saxophone – baritone saxophone * Harry White – trombone * Ben Williams – tenor saxophone * Eddie Williams – tenor saxophone *

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

– double bass

References

{{Authority control Jazz ensembles from New York City Big bands Territory bands Musical groups established in 1930 1930 establishments in New York City