Florence Mills

Florence Mills (1896-1927) was a legendary African-American singer, dancer and comedienne. After a career in vaudeville she scored a big success in the musical Shuffle Along. That show marked the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance. Tragically, she died of tuberculosis in 1927. She never recorded but shortly after her death Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller and other prominent African American artists recorded four tribute songs for Victor. Duke Ellington composed Black Beauty in her honor. This playlist gathers three of Ellington’s versions of Black Beauty, the four songs with Waller on organ and a medley from Shuffle Along conducted by Eubie Blake.