Well paid and well laid

THE MILLS BROTHERS were a well-paid act for thirty years or more, spanning several music eras.
At one early Mills Brothers show, Harry Mills forgot his kazoo -- the group's usual accompaniment -- and emulated the instrument by cupping his hand over his mouth. The brothers worked the novelty into their act, with John taking tuba, Donald trombone, and Herbert a second trumpet.
The instrument-scatting novelty appeared to wear off by the late '30s. And despite recordings with Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, they weren’t selling much.
That changed in 1943 with the release of "Paper Doll," a sweet, intimate ballad that became one of the biggest hits of the decade -- twelve weeks on the top of the charts, and six million records sold (plus sheet music).
In 1952, "The Glow Worm" became their last number one hit.
A move from Decca to Dot brought a moderate 1958 hit, a cover of the Silhouettes' "Get a Job". It made explicit the considerable influence on doo-wop that the early Mills Brothers records had exterted.
And they always had those big, satisfied smiles. The kind that come from hot love.