MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC

The Mills Brothers: Herbert, John, Donald and Harry

I had to spend an extra year in high school because of a serious case of athlete’s foot. I was out nearly a month of my senior year. That is why I finished with my friend, Paul.

I had a little extra time that year and decided to learn to play an instrument. I loved music, in any form, especially classical. Paul played in the school orchestra and the marching band. He had perfect pitch and could write music having never taken a lesson. He had that kind of mind. I wanted to play an instrument. Hopefully, I could learn rather quickly. Mr. Van Pelt, the director of music, showed me several instruments and they looked difficult to learn. I saw a large cabinet that was about half the size of the average closet. I said, “What’s in there?” He said, “Oh, that’s where we store the base violin." When he opened the door I said, “I’ll try that one.”

I had taken regular violin lessons when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I didn’t learn very much because my brother, Charles, would take me to a movie with the lesson money. We had enough money for the movie a sandwich, and street car fair, and perhaps a little left over. We seldom had the violin lesson.

Mr. Van Pelt wrote a few notes on paper and told me to practice them every day, which I did, for about two weeks.

The school had a very fine orchestra, however, the one bass player had graduated that June. I think Mr. Van Pelt started me and my bass, almost immediately because the orchestra just wouldn’t look right without someone standing beside the big bass with bow in hand. In the beginning, I would just play the first note in each measure when possible. The average person is not born with perfect pitch, meaning, they cannot tell when an instrument is sounding the proper note at the proper time. Mr. Van Pelt and my friend, Paul Brown, had perfect pitch. Occasionally, Mr. Van Pelt would say like “The lad on the bass, tighten your G string just a little.”

There I was struggling to read the music and play the proper notes and keep the instrument tuned just right. The most important thing was the bass and bass player. All of that is to say this, I got off to a wobbly start but was soon able to hold my own as a musician, but never aspired to be one of note…pardon the word, “note.”

During our senior year, Paul and I played with some small local groups. Two or three dollars a gig. Our first job paid $.65 per man – that was a percentage job. ha – but guess who came to town – a family of 6 or 7 from Pique, Ohio (pronounced Pickway) including 4 handsome young men, from ages about 19 to 24. John, Harry, Herbert, and Donald Mills and one guitar. The four Mills Brothers. The boys were staying at Chauncey Bennett’s a local young piano player, nicknamed Father Hines, after a famous orchestra leader, Father Hines. His family had a rather large home right on Chapel Street in our neighborhood. The whole neighborhood was abuzz – later the whole city, then the whole nation.

They performed two or three nights a week on WLW radio (4 boys and a guitar) to listen to them you would hear a guitar, a trumpet, a saxophone, and a bass horn. To see them perform, you would see boys and a guitar. The other instrumental sounds were made by the boys.

They were almost an immediate sensation and they were living right in our neighborhood.

A small group of us were invited to Chauncey’s house for a little get-together on a Sunday afternoon. We had met one or two casually, but all four together…We had fun. Chauncey played a couple of numbers on the grand piano. Chauncey’s family was not wealthy, but the piano was important for him. we finally asked the boys if they would do a number for us. they said sure, but the guitar is down the Gross girls’ house. The Gross’ were a family of 5 girls and a widowed father. They went to my church, their father sang in the choir. They were only about one block away. Immediately I said that I would run down and get the guitar. Without hesitation, John took the instrument. He was sitting on the other side of the piano. He checked the strings and was ready. John remained seated, Donald, Herbert and Harry stood up. They sang two or three songs. At least one had the trumpet sound and the saxophone sound. We were thrilled. I probably was not clear on what sounds they made. John, the oldest, was as I said, sitting on the other side of the piano. I sort of raised up to see what he used to make those deep bass sounds one could hear throughout each song. I stood up and all I saw was a guitar. No bass – nothing else. ha – of course, they went on to New York and Hollywood.

I’ve told this story many times. We had a sand lot football game. Donald, the youngest, was the only brother who would join in sports with us. He was closer to our age. At one point in a football game, he was running toward the goal for a touchdown and a tough little short guy named Sheridan was between Donald and the goal. Sheridan hit him head on. Picked him up and Donald came down head first. The ground was more like gravel than grass, like a large playground. Donald took it well, but his face was really -- the only words I can think of is – messed up.

They were scheduled to be on the Sidney Ten-Eyck’s program that night. Donald took it all like a man. He wanted to be like any other l7 or l8 year old kid. That night when Sidney Ten-Eyck introduced them, he said, “The Mills Brothers, 4 boys and a guitar, but Donald looks like he’s been HIT by a run-away freight train. haha

They went on to have a long and successful career.

Unfortunately, John, the oldest and the bass, passed away age 26 while on tour in Europe. He was married to one of the Gross girls, Alice. His father replaced him as bass. When his father passed, they stayed together as a trio. They were a wonderful family and loved by all.

One more important note.

Donald was the only person I know who would buy a pair of shoes and have a brother wear them awhile until they were well broken-in before he would wear them. ha –

Enough.

Next, a few of my musical happenings while in college with my friend, Paul Brown.