Mrs. Mills

Gladys Mills (; 29 August 1918 – 24 February 1978), known professionally as Mrs Mills, was an English pianist who was active in the 1960s and 1970s, and who released many records. Her repertoire included many sing-along and party tunes made popular in the music hall, generally in a stride piano technique, often in a tack piano style.

Early life Mills was born in the East London suburb of Beckton. They settled in Loughton, Essex, where she lived for most of her life.

At the age of 43, in December 1961, she made her first television appearance on The Billy Cotton Show. By the end of January 1962 she was a household name, having risen to fame in the same period as her stable-mates The Beatles, with whom she had shared space at Abbey Road Studios (as mentioned in the Beatles Anthology DVD bonus materials).

She toured the UK throughout the 1960s, making several appearances on TV and radio. Mills was also a successful recording artist overseas in territories with large numbers of economic migrants from the UK, such as Australia, Canada and Hong Kong. Her career as an entertainer would last well into the 1970s.

Her agent was Eric Easton, who later went on to manage The Dave Clark Five and The Rolling Stones, and then signed a recording contract with Parlophone.

Her oeuvre consisted of British and international standards, plus cover versions of contemporary hits. Her covers included "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", "Hello, Dolly!", "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and "Yellow Submarine", all of which were re-released by EMI in their 2003 compilation The Very Best of Mrs Mills.

1970s Mills appeared on two episodes of The Morecambe and Wise Show in 1971 and 1974, where she performed a medley of favourites with the studio orchestra. In 1973, she appeared in an episode of The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club.

In December 1974, she appeared as the subject of This Is Your Life, hosted by Eamonn Andrews, during which it was revealed that the first record she had recorded was "A Gal in Calico", cut in a "make-your-own-record" booth on Southend Pier for a half-crown, with her childhood friend Lily Dormer.

In 1975, her distinctive performing style was satirised in an edition of BBC TV's The Two Ronnies, originally broadcast on BBC Two on 23 January 1975. The sketch, titled "Family Entertainment – John & Mrs Mills", occupied the end-of-the-show musical slot in episode 4 of the fourth series. It featured Ronnie Barker as a silk-laden Mrs Mills at piano and Ronnie Corbett as a uniformed Sir John Mills (who was unrelated to Mrs Mills). Barker and Corbett performed a medley of Mills-style classics revolving around John Mills' character in the 1969 film Oh! What a Lovely War.

Little was seen of Mills on television in her final years, and she died of a heart attack on 24 February 1978 in London. The piano, with a characteristic out-of-tune honky-tonk sound, has remained in use at Abbey Road for over 50 years and was used in countless recordings made there, including some by The Beatles.

According to Eddie Vedder in an interview for the SmartLess podcast in February 2022, Paul McCartney tried to buy the piano but the studio refused. Eddie Vedder's 2022 album, Earthling, contains a song called "Mrs. Mills" about the piano, featuring Ringo Starr on drums.

The piano was featured in the 2024 Doctor Who episode "The Devil's Chord."

Although Mills' musical legacy had been largely forgotten in recent times, June 2012 saw the emergence of London-based tribute band The Mrs Mills Experience with a debut at The Vintage Festival at Boughton House in Northamptonshire. On 13 July, they were filmed playing live at The Prince Albert pub in Brixton, London Borough of Lambeth by the BBC. On 23 September 2012, BBC Four broadcast the 60-minute documentary Let's Have a Party! The Piano Genius of Mrs Mills on the life of Mills, which included footage of the band and contributions from Rick Wakeman, Rowland Rivron and Pete Murray, amongst others.

Loughton Town Council commissioned a blue plaque to her memory on the house at 43 Barncroft Close, her home for many years.

Discography A Best of CD was released by the EMI Gold imprint and another CD (The Mrs Mills Collection) appeared on the HMV Easy label. A list of her UK output is as follows:

EMI/Parlophone Records — singles (all mono) with the Geoff Love Orchestra Catalogue number Issue date Title R 4856 1961 "Mrs Mills Medley" parts 1 and 2 R 4863 1962 "Popcorn" / "Bobbikins" R 4933 1962 "Entry of the Tradiators" / "South Rampart Street Parade" R 4975 1962 "Mrs Mills Hoe-Down Party" parts 1 and 2 R 5008 1963 "Bubbling Over" / "The First Waltz" R 5081 1963 "We're Gonna Throw A Little Party" / "Ten Green Bottles" R 5214 1964 "Mrs Mills Party Medley" parts 1 and 2 R 5238 1965 "Mrs Mills' Minstrel Medley" parts 1 and 2 R 5367 November 1965 "Mrs Mills' Party Medley" parts 1 and 2 (not to be confused with the 1964 release) R 5399 January 1966 "Newsboy" / "Someone Like You" R 5549 December 1966 "Glad Today Medley" / "Glad Yesterday Medley" R 5599 19 May 1967 "I Was Queen Victoria's Chambermaid" / "Thank You Everybody" (listed as "Mrs Mills With Adequate Support") R 5653 November 1967 "Party Hit Parade" parts 1 and 2 R 5678 1968 "Candy Floss" / "Indian Summer" R 5748 6 December 1968 "Glad's Party" parts 1 and 2 R 5822 28 November 1969 "Battle of Britain Medley" / "A Wee Drop of Scotch" R 5834 1970 "The Champs Elysees" / "Kiss Curl Caper" (listed as Mrs Mills And Her Happy Piano) R 5877 November 1970 "Mrs Mills' Minstrel Medley" parts 1 and 2 (not to be confused with the 1965 release) R 5950 12 May 1972 "Sunshine" / "Bobbikins"

EMI/Parlophone Records – EPs (all mono) Catalogue number Issue date Title GEP 8861 1962 The Happy Piano Player (released in NZ as MGEP 8861) GEP 8865 1962 Mrs Mills Plays The Roaring Twenties GEP 8918 1964 Everybody's Welcome at Mrs Mills' Party GEP 8935 1963 Any Time's Party Time with Mrs Mills GEP 8943 1965 It's Party Time! GEP 8958 1966 Mrs Mills' Party

EMI/Parlophone Records – LPs (PMC: mono, PCS: stereo) Catalogue number Issue date Title PMC 1178 1962 Mrs Mills Plays The Roaring Twenties, also released in 1962 by The World Record Club in Great Britain, on their label, number ST994, showing a portrait cover art PMC 1212 November 1963 Everybody's Welcome at Mrs Mills' Party PMC 1234 1964 It's Party Time! PMC 1254 September 1964 Music For Anytime PMC 1264 November 1965 Mrs Mills' Party PCS 3030 1962 Mrs Mills Plays The Roaring Twenties PCS 3049 November 1963 Everybody's Welcome at Mrs Mills' Party PCS 3070 September 1965 Music For Anytime PCS 3074 November 1965 Mrs Mills' Party PMC/PCS 7002 April 1966 Especially For You PMC/PCS 7010 1966 Come to my Party PMC/PCS 7020 April 1967 Look Mum – No Hands! PMC/PCS 7035 December 1967 Let's Have Another Party PCS 7046 April 1968 Summer Party PCS 7066 November 1968 Party Pieces PCS 7080 July 1969 Back to the Roaring Twenties PCS 7087 January 1970 Party Mixture PCS 7117 November 1970 Bumper Bundle Party PCS 7129 July 1971 More Music For Anytime PCS 7143 January 1972 Music Hall Party PCS 7152 July 1972 Anytime Is Party Time PCS 7153 October 1972 Another Flippin' Party PCS 7166 June 1974 Hollywood Party PCS 7167 November 1974 It's Party Time Again

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

Other recordings (all stereo)

A number of additional albums, with titles such as Knees-Up Roaring 20s Party, Crazy Rhythm, Mairzy Doats and Dozy Doats, Just Mrs Gladys Mills, and Welcome To Mrs Mills' Honky Tonk Party, are either compilations of tracks from various EMI Parlophone albums and singles, or older albums reissued under new titles. The cover art on these albums, rather than the content, has been of interest to collectors.