January 25, 1896 - November 1, 1927

• Florence Mills (born Florence Winfrey) was one of the greatest entertainers and singing, dancing jazz performers the world has ever seen.

• She was one of the all-time greatest stars of the black theatre, the first black international female superstar of the Twentieth century and a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance

• Florence Mills was steeped in the traditions of  African-based black music and black dance that gave the world the Spirituals ('sorrow songs'), the Blues, Ragtime, Jazz and the basis of much of today's popular culture

• She was also a truly lovable, charitable, socially and intellectually aware woman, who spoke out for the rights of her fellow African Americans.

• Florence Mills is largely forgotten and neglected today, mainly because the primitive recording techniques of the early twentieth century couldn't capture her remarkable voice, and she was never filmed, so no record of her performance remains.

• The purpose of this site is to help reclaim for her the status and respect her remarkable talents and heroic personality warrant, in the eyes of the world and of her fellow African-Americans, to whom she was so important in the 1920s.

•  Check the links below to learn about Florence's true greatness, or  read The Book !

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 In the updated News section the sad news of the death of Delilah Jackson, Florence Mills fan extraordinaire, is reported. Here is a brief extract from a tape of
 Delilah talking about Florence
 to her friend, Florences husband U S Thompson, and his colleague, Willie Covan, of MGM tap fame
(Apologies for quality of old tape)
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                                          Florence Mills: Month by Month
                                                       ^April          
   
    1903    Guest appearance as child star in Sons of Ham at Washington DC
   1911   Plays Harlem's Lincoln Theatre as member of the Mills Sisters
    1919    With Panama Trio at Empress Theatre, Omaha Nebraska
    1922    Shares bill in charity appearance at Belasco Theatre with Nora Bayes, 
                Ruth Draper, Paul Whiteman, Basil Rathbone, Frank Crumit & other big names
    1923    Sails for London & first international appearance aboard Cunard liner Albania
    1925    Finishes long Philadelphia run of Dixie to Broadway
    1926    Opens 6-week run in Blackbirds of 1926 at Alhambra Theatre, Harlem
    1927    Plays 250th performance of Blackbirds at London Pavilion

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