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Irving Mills was a music publisher and owner of Mills Music with his brother Jack. He also was a singer, songwriter, A&R; man and manager of several bands that included Cab Calloway, Benny CarterFletcher Henderson, Mills Blue Rhythm Band and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which he managed from 1926 to 1939.

His association with Duke ran deep; besides being their manager he wrote lyrics to several of Ellington’s songs and sang on many of their records. Duke and other members of his orchestra had mixed emotions about their business relations with Irving Mills. In general they held him in high regard, but felt that as publisher he sometimes took authors’ credit and royalties that were not deserved. On the other hand nearly all agreed that much of Ellington’s early commercial success was because of Mills business skills. It should be noted that the addition of publishers’ names to songs was common practice in those days and the same accusations were leveled at most publishers of the era.

The Hotsy-Totsy Gang records made under Irving Mills name between 1928 and 1930 assembled some of the greatest White Jazz musicians of the era and often produced spectacular results. Sometimes Mills sang on the records, other times he just arranged the record dates and selected the musicians. As a singer Mills was not without talent.

Here’s a recording by the Hotsy-Totsy Gang that is “so hot that the music had to be written on sheets of asbestos”. It’s from Brunswick Brevities which was a short radio program that was broadcast in the late 1920s and early 1930s. This episode featured Irving Mills and his Hotsy Totsy Gang performing “Nobody’s Sweetheart Now” and Hoagy Carmichael singing a great version of his song “Harvey”. Click here to listen to it!

Thanks to Dennis Pereyra for his help with this page.

discography

TitleRecording DateRecording LocationCompany
Ain’t Misbehavin’
(vocal, tap dancing by Bill Robinson)

(Andy Razaf / Fats Waller / Harry Brooks)
9-4-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Barbaric
(Hoagy Carmichael)
1-6-1930New York, New YorkBrunswick
4920
Can’t We Get Together? (non-vocal)
(Andy Razaf / Fats Waller / Harry Brooks)
7-31-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Can’t We Get Together? (vocal)
(Andy Razaf / Fats Waller / Harry Brooks)
7-31-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Crazy ‘Bout My Gal
(Jack Pettis / Irving Mills)
3-21-1930New York, New YorkBrunswick
Dardanella
(Felix Bernard / Johnny S. Black / Fred Fisher)
10-16-1928New York, New YorkVocalion
Deep Harlem
(Irving Mills / Frank Signorelli / Matty Malneck)
6-6-1930New York, New YorkBrunswick
Diga Diga Doo (non-vocal)
(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
7-27-1928New York, New YorkBrunswick
Diga Diga Doo (vocal)
(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
7-27-1928New York, New YorkBrunswick
Doin’ The New Low-Down (non-vocal)
(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
7-27-1928New York, New YorkBrunswick
Doin’ The New Low-Down
From Blackbirds of 1926
Vocal Chorus by Elizabeth Welsh

(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
7-27-1928New York, New YorkBrunswick
4014
Doin’ The New Low-Down
(vocal, tap dancing by Bill Robinson)

(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
9-4-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Don’t Mess Around With Me (A)
(Palmer)
7-27-1928New York, New YorkBrunswick
Don’t Mess Around With Me (B)
(Palmer)
7-27-1928New York, New YorkBrunswick
Futuristic Rhythm (non-vocal)
(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
1-14-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Futuristic Rhythm (vocal)
(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
1-14-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Harvey
(Hoagy Carmichael)
9-20-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
High And Dry
(Hoagy Carmichael)
1-6-1930New York, New YorkBrunswick
4920

E31757
High And Dry
(Hoagy Carmichael)
1-6-1930New York, New YorkBrunswick
4920

E31758
I Couldn’t If I Wanted To
(I Wouldn’t If I Could)

Vocal Chorus by Milton Irving

(Irving Mills / Palmer)
10-16-1928New York, New YorkBrunswick
4112
I Wonder What My Gal Is Doin’?
(Irving Mills / Jack Pettis)
3-21-1930New York, New YorkBrunswick
4998
Loved One (A)
(Frankie Trumbauer / Irving Mills / Hayden)
6-6-1930New York, New YorkVocalion
Loved One (B)
(Frankie Trumbauer / Irving Mills / Hayden)
6-6-1930New York, New YorkVocalion
Manhattan Rag
(Hoagy Carmichael)
11-7-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
March Of The Hoodlums
(Hoagy Carmichael)
9-20-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
My Little Honey And Me
(Hackforth)
11-7-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Out Where The Blues Begin (non-vocal)
(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
1-14-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Out Where The Blues Begin (vocal)
(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
1-14-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Railroad Man
(Irving Mills)
3-21-1930New York, New YorkBrunswick
Since You Went Away
(Riddick / Smith)
10-16-1928New York, New YorkBrunswick
Some Fun
(Van Eps)
7-31-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
4498
St. Louis Blues
(W.C. Handy)
5-24-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Star Dust
(Mitchell Parrish / Hoagy Carmichael)
9-20-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Strut Miss Lizzie
(Henry Creamer / J. Turner Layton)
6-6-1930New York, New YorkBrunswick
Sweet Savannah Sue (non-vocal)
(Andy Razaf / Fats Waller / Harry Brooks)
7-31-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
Sweet Savannah Sue (vocal)
(Andy Razaf / Fats Waller / Harry Brooks)
7-31-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
What A Night
(Irving Mills / Jack Pettis)
5-24-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick
4998
What Kind Of Man Is You?
(Hoagy Carmichael)
11-7-1929New York, New YorkBrunswick

ArtistInstrument
Smith BallewVocals
Ray BauducDrums
Bix BeiderbeckeCornet
Al BellerViolin
Ed BergmanViolin
Larry BinyonTenor Saxophone
Perry BotkinBanjo, Ukulele
Vic BreidisPiano, Celeste
Arnold BrilhartClarinet, Alto Saxophone
Clay BrysonBanjo
Hoagy CarmichaelPiano, Celeste, Vocals
Jack CornellPiano-Accordion
Jimmy DorseyClarinet, Alto Saxophone
Tommy DorseyTrombone
Dudley FosdickMellophone
Al GoeringPiano
Benny GoodmanClarinet, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
Harry GoodmanTuba
Al HarrisCornet, Trumpet
Manny KleinTrumpet
Merrill KlineTuba
Gene KrupaDrums
Eddie LangGuitar
Min LeibrookBass Saxophone
Fud LivingstonClarinet, Alto Saxophone
Ray LodwigTrumpet
Matt MalneckViolin
Matty MatlockClarinet, Alto Saxophone
Leo McConvilleTrumpet
Dick McDonoughGuitar, Banjo
Jimmy McPartlandCornet
Irving MillsDirector, Vocals, Violin ?
Miff MoleTrombone
Bill MooreTrumpet
Chauncey MorehouseDrums, Vibraphone
Dick MorganBanjo
Lilian MortonVocals
Phil NapoleonTrumpet
Dillon OberDrums
Jack PettisC-Melody Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Ben PollackDrums, Vocals
Dick RobertsonVocals
Bill RobinsonTap Dancing, Vocals
Gil RodinClarinet, Alto Saxophone
Pee Wee RussellClarinet, Tenor Saxophone
Irving “Babe” RussinTenor Saxophone
Bill SchumannViolincello
Frank SignorelliPiano
Joe TartoTuba
Jack TeagardenTrombone
Joe VenutiViolin
Elizabeth WelchVocals

 

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