Mrs Mills

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Gladys Mills (1918- 1978), better known as Mrs Mills, was a pianist who was popular in the 1960s and released many records.

She shot to fame during the same period as her stable-mates The Beatles, with whom she shared space at Abbey Road Studios (as mentioned in the Beatles Anthology DVD bonus materials). After previously working as the superintendent of the typing pool in the Paymaster General's office in London in December 1961, she would become a household name by the end of January 1962, having been spotted by a talent scout at a Woodford Golf Club dance near her home in Loughton, Essex. Glad Mills was signed to a management contract by Eric Easton who later went on to manage the Dave Clark Five and the Rolling Stones among others. After signing to Parlophone Records, her very first release - the Mrs Mills Medley single - entered the Top Twenty, and her career as an entertainer began - a career that would last well into the 1970s. She toured the UK, made many appearances on TV and radio throughout this period. Mrs Mills was also a successful recording artist overseas in territories where there were large numbers of ex-pats from the U.K. including Australia, Canada and Hong Kong.

Her oeuvre consisted of standards (British and international), plus versions of contemporary hits. A 2003 release (The Very Best Of Mrs Mills, on EMI Gold) includes such hits as "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", "Hello, Dolly!", "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles", "Yellow Submarine", and many others in a similar vein.

Her albums are still frequently available in charity shops. Singles are far rarer, and possibly of lesser aesthetic value being sold in generic Parlophone sleeves, akin to those of the UK-issued Beatles singles. They displayed none of her glorious grandeur, as seen on LP covers for Look Mum, no Hands! (1967) (Glad on horseback), or I'm Mighty Glad' (1966) (Glad as a sailor), Your One And Only Mrs Mills (1967) (Glad as a housemaid complete with feather duster) and the hallucinatory post-Sgt Pepper cover of Party Sing Along(1970) (with a kaleidoscopic image not far removed from the contemporary debut of fellow EMI artists Pink Floyd - Piper At The Gates Of Dawn).

Apart from album covers, little has been seen on television of Mrs Mills since her heyday. One rare example - albeit a recreation - of Mrs Mills' style of performance came in an edition of the BBC's The Two Ronnies. The sketch (Family Entertainment - John & Mrs Mills) occupied the end-of-the-show musical slot, with Ronnie Barker as the silk-laden Mrs Mills at piano, and Ronnie Corbett as a uniformed Sir John Mills (who was no relation). They performed a medley of Mills-style classics (on the theme of Mills' character in the 1969 film Oh! What A Lovely War). (NB: The show (series 4; episode 4) was originally broadcast on BBC2, 23/01/75.

Mrs Mills died in February 1978.

[edit] Discography

A Best Of CD is available from the usual retailers, on the EMI Gold imprint, and a list of her UK output (according to a vast - now lost - Parlophone listing from the web) is as follows (catalogue number (month/year of issue) title):

EMI/Parlophone Records - Singles (all mono; *with the Geoff Love Orchestra)

  • R 4856 (00/61) “Mrs Mills Medley” parts 1&2
  • R 4863 (00/62) “Popcorn”/”Bobbikins”
  • R 4933* (00/62) “Entry Of The Tradiators”/”South Rampart Street Parade”
  • R 4975 (00/63) “Mrs Mills Hoe-Down Party” parts 1&2
  • R 5008 (00/63) “Bubblin’ Over”/”The First Waltz”
  • R 5081 (00/63) “We’re Gonna Throw A Little Party (Y’ All Come)”/”Ten Green Bottles”
  • R 5214 (00/64) “Mrs Mills’ Party Medley” parts 1&2
  • R 5238 (00/64) “Mrs Mills’ Minstrel Medley” parts 1&2
  • R 5367 (11/65) “Mrs Mills’ Party Medley” parts 1&2
  • R 5399 (01/66) “Newsboy”/”Someone Like You”
  • R 5549 (12/66) “Glad Today Medley”/”Glad Yesterday Medley”
  • R 5599 (04/67) “I Was Queen Victoria’s Chambermaid”/”Thank You Everybody”
  • R 5653* (11/67) “Party Hit Parade” parts 1&2
  • R 5678 (00/68) “Candy Floss”/”Indian Summer”
  • R 5748 (00/68) “Glad’s Party” parts 1&2
  • R 5834 (00/70) “The Champs Elysees”/”Kiss Curl Caper”
  • R 5877 (11/70) “Mrs Mills’ Minstrel Medley” parts 1&2
  • R 5950 (04/72) “Sunshine”/”Bobbikins”

EMI/Parlophone Records - EPs (all mono)

  • GEP 8861 (00/62) “The Happy Piano Player”
  • GEP 8865 (00/62) “Mrs Mills Plays The Roaring Twenties”
  • GEP 8918 (00/64) “Everybody’s Welcome At Mrs Mills’ Party”
  • GEP 8935 (00/65) “Any Time’s Party Time With Mrs Mills”
  • GEP 8943 (00/65) “It’s Party Time!”
  • GEP 8958 (00/66) “Mrs Mills’ Party”

EMI/Parlophone Rcords - LPs (PMC: mono, PCS: stereo)

  • PMC 1178 (00/62) Mrs Mills Plays The Roaring Twenties
  • PMC 1212 (11/63) Everybody’s Welcome At Mrs Mills’ Party
  • PMC 1234 (00/64) It’s Party Time!
  • PMC 1254* (09/65) Music For Anytime
  • PMC 1264 (11/65) Mrs Mills’ Party
  • PCS 3030 (00/62) Mrs Mills Plays The Roaring Twenties
  • PCS 3049 (11/63) Everybody’s Welcome At Mrs Mills’ Party
  • PCS 3070 (09/65) Music For Anytime
  • PCS 3074 (11/65) Mrs Mills’ Party
  • PMC/PCS 7002 (04/66) Especially For You
  • PMC/PCS 7010 (00/66) Come To The Party
  • PMC/PCS 7020 (04/67) Look Mum - No Hands!
  • PCS 7035 (12/67) Let’s Have Another Party
  • PCS 7046 (04/68) Summer Party
  • PCS 7066 (11/68) Party Pieces
  • PCS 7080 (07/69) Back To The Roaring Twenties
  • PCS 7087 (01/70) Party Mixture
  • PCS 7117 (11/70) Bumper Bundle Party
  • PCS 7129 (07/71) More Music For Anytime
  • PCS 7143 (01/72) Music Hall Party
  • PCS 7152 (07/72) Anytime Is Party Time
  • PCS 7153 (10/72) Another Flippin’ Party
  • PCS 7166 (06/74) Hollywood Party
  • PCS 7167 (11/74) It’s Party Time Again

EMI/Music For Pleasure Records - LPs (all stereo)

  • MFP 5335 (00/66) I’m Mighty Glad
  • MFP 1406 (00/67) Your One and Only Mrs Mills
  • MFP 50009 (00/74) Piano Singalong
  • MFP 50220 (00/75) Glad with Love (Mrs Mills and Geoff Love Singalong Together)
  • MFP 50230 (00/75) Mrs Mills Knees-Up Party

Other Recordings (all stereo)

  • EMI/Starline Records: SRS 5029 (00/70) Party Sing-Along
  • EMI/Starline Records: SRS 5089 (00/71) All Time Party Dances
  • EMI/Encore Records: ONCR 508 (00/71) All Time Party Dances and Other Favourites
  • EMI/One-Up Records: OU 2076 (00/7?) It’s Party Time! (reissue)
  • EMI/Sounds Superb Records: SPR 90012 (00/73) Non-Stop Honky-Tonk Party (blue or purple background)
  • EMI/Double-Up Records: DUO 108 (00/7-) What A Wonderful Party (double album - chimps cover)
  • EMI/Double-Up Records: DUO 122 (00/76) Jumbo-Party (double album - elephant cover)