Died On This Date (April 12, 1989) Herbert Mills / The Mills Brothers
themusicsover Herbert Mills
April 2, 1912 – April 12, 1989
As one of the famed Mills Brothers, Herbert Mills scored several hits over a career that lasted over 60 years. Starting in 1925, brothers Herbert, Harry, John Jr., and Donald performed as Four Boys and a Guitar, somewhat of a novelty group due to their young ages (11 to 15). By the early ’30s, the Mills Brothers were regularly performing on CBS Radio, singing Proctor & Gamble commercials. There long string of hits included “Paper Doll,” “Tiger Rag,” “Lazy River” and “Bye Bye Blackbird.” They recorded over 2200 songs! Herbert Mills was 77 when he passed away on April 12, 1989.
What You Should Own
Teddy Scholten was a Dutch singer who was popular throughout the Netherlands during the ’50s and ’60s. In 1959, Scholten won the Eurovision Song Conest with “Een Beetje,” which significantly boosted her career. She went on to appear on many popular Netherlands television shows throughout the ’60s. Throughout her career, Scholten released several albums, mostly made up of childrens songs. Teddy Scholten passed away on April 8, 2010. She was 83.
Nancy Overton sang in the ’50s girl group, the Chordettes, one of the longest running vocal groups in pop history. The had two huge pop hits with “Mr. Sandman” and “Lollipop.” Overtone was asked to join the Chordettes in 1957, and although she never recorded with the group, she performed live with them until she retired from show business in 1972. Nancy Overton died of esophageal cancer on April 5, 2009.
The undisputed King of Easy Listening passed away on this date in 1980. If you’re under 40, you likely never heard of Mantovani unless you worked in record store in the ’70s or ’80s. He released over 40 albums in the US, 11 of which landing in the Top 10. Mantovani passed away in his home at the age of 74.
