Frank Mills
Encyclopedia
Frank Mills is a Canadian pianist
and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit "Music Box Dancer
".
Mills grew up in Verdun, Quebec and started playing piano at age 3. He attended McGill University
for five years. He started in Engineering, switched to a B.Sc. programme, then Arts and finally with the Department of Music. He entertained his fraternity brothers (Delta Upsilon
) with songs from ragtime to a new artist Bob Dylan. The fraternity piano had thumbtacks on every hammer and produced a unique sound. In the late 1960s became a member of The Bells
. He left the band in 1971 just before it had international success with the single "Stay Awhile."
Mills worked as a pianist for CBC-TV and recorded his first solo album, Seven Of My Songs, which produced the hit single "Love Me, Love Me Love." The song made its debut on the Canadian charts in October 1971 and early the following year peaked at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100
and #8 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart His followup single, a cover of Ricky Nelson
's "Poor Little Fool" made Top 25 in Canada but stalled at #106 in the U.S.
Mills released an album in 1974 that featured "Music Box Dancer", but it was not a hit initially. When he re-signed with Polydor Records Canada in 1978, the label released a new song as a single, with "Music Box Dancer" on the B-side. The single was sent to easy listening stations in Canada, but a copy was sent in error to CFRA-AM, a pop station in Ottawa. The program director played the A-side and couldn't figure out why it had been sent to his station, so he played the B-side to see if the record was mistakenly marked. He liked "Music Box Dancer" and added it to his station's playlist, turning the record into a Canadian hit. Iconic Ottawa Valley radio personality Dave "50,000" Watts gave the record extensive airplay on the station. The album went gold in Canada, which prompted Polydor in the US to release the album and single.
In Nashville, news producer Bob Parker at WNGE-TV
began playing the song over the closing credits of the newscast. Nashville DJs quickly latched on and both the single and album were hits. The million-selling Gold-certified single reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
in the spring of 1979 as well as #4 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, while the album reached #21 on the Billboard Top Album chart and also went gold. Polydor awarded a gold record to TV station WNGE for breaking the single in the U.S.
It was Mills' only U.S. Top 40 pop hit; the follow-up, another piano instrumental titled "Peter Piper", peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 although it was a popular Top 10 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Mills managed one final Adult Contemporary chart entry, "Happy Song", which peaked at #41 at the beginning of 1981.
Mills won two Juno Awards in 1980
for "Peter Piper", one for Composer of the Year
and one for Instrumental Artist of the Year
. He again won in the latter category in 1981
.
He continued to release albums until the early 1990s, and in 2010 announced a Christmas tour with Canadian singer Rita MacNeil.
"Music Box Dancer" has been heard on an episode of The Simpsons
and in the Kill Bill
movies. It was used as the theme tune to the BBC2 golf programme, A Round with Alliss.
There is a song in the musical Hair
called Frank Mills, although the number has nothing to do with this artist.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit "Music Box Dancer
Music Box Dancer
"Music Box Dancer" is an instrumental piece by Canadian musician Frank Mills that was an international hit in the late 1970s. It features a piano theme that is accompanied by other instrumentation, designed to resemble a music box....
".
Mills grew up in Verdun, Quebec and started playing piano at age 3. He attended McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
for five years. He started in Engineering, switched to a B.Sc. programme, then Arts and finally with the Department of Music. He entertained his fraternity brothers (Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon is the sixth oldest international, all-male, college Greek-letter organization, and is the oldest non-secret fraternity in North America...
) with songs from ragtime to a new artist Bob Dylan. The fraternity piano had thumbtacks on every hammer and produced a unique sound. In the late 1960s became a member of The Bells
The Bells (band)
The Bells were a Canadian rock band from Montreal that had two hit singles in the early 1970s. Featuring South African natives Anne and Jackie Ralph as well as Cliff Edwards, Doug Gravelle and Gordie McLeod, the group started in 1965 as The Five Bells....
. He left the band in 1971 just before it had international success with the single "Stay Awhile."
Mills worked as a pianist for CBC-TV and recorded his first solo album, Seven Of My Songs, which produced the hit single "Love Me, Love Me Love." The song made its debut on the Canadian charts in October 1971 and early the following year peaked at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #8 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart His followup single, a cover of Ricky Nelson
Ricky Nelson
Eric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
's "Poor Little Fool" made Top 25 in Canada but stalled at #106 in the U.S.
Mills released an album in 1974 that featured "Music Box Dancer", but it was not a hit initially. When he re-signed with Polydor Records Canada in 1978, the label released a new song as a single, with "Music Box Dancer" on the B-side. The single was sent to easy listening stations in Canada, but a copy was sent in error to CFRA-AM, a pop station in Ottawa. The program director played the A-side and couldn't figure out why it had been sent to his station, so he played the B-side to see if the record was mistakenly marked. He liked "Music Box Dancer" and added it to his station's playlist, turning the record into a Canadian hit. Iconic Ottawa Valley radio personality Dave "50,000" Watts gave the record extensive airplay on the station. The album went gold in Canada, which prompted Polydor in the US to release the album and single.
In Nashville, news producer Bob Parker at WNGE-TV
WKRN-TV
WKRN-TV, virtual channel 2.1 , is the ABC-affiliated television station in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Young Broadcasting under the operation of Gray Television. Its transmitter is located in Brentwood, Tennessee....
began playing the song over the closing credits of the newscast. Nashville DJs quickly latched on and both the single and album were hits. The million-selling Gold-certified single reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the spring of 1979 as well as #4 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, while the album reached #21 on the Billboard Top Album chart and also went gold. Polydor awarded a gold record to TV station WNGE for breaking the single in the U.S.
It was Mills' only U.S. Top 40 pop hit; the follow-up, another piano instrumental titled "Peter Piper", peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 although it was a popular Top 10 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Mills managed one final Adult Contemporary chart entry, "Happy Song", which peaked at #41 at the beginning of 1981.
Mills won two Juno Awards in 1980
Juno Awards of 1980
The Juno Awards of 1980, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 2 April 1980 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Burton Cummings at the Harbour Castle Hilton....
for "Peter Piper", one for Composer of the Year
Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year
The Juno Award for "Songwriter of the Year" has been awarded since 1971, as recognition each year for the best songwriter in Canada. It was also known as the Juno Award for "Composer of the Year" from 1975 to 1990.-Best Songwriter :...
and one for Instrumental Artist of the Year
Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year
The Juno Award for "Instrumental Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1976, as recognition each year for the best instrumental album in Canada. The award was originally called the "Instrumental Artist of the Year"....
. He again won in the latter category in 1981
Juno Awards of 1981
The Juno Awards of 1981, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 5 February 1981 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Andrea Martin at the O'Keefe Centre....
.
He continued to release albums until the early 1990s, and in 2010 announced a Christmas tour with Canadian singer Rita MacNeil.
Music Box Dancer
The sheet music version of "Music Box Dancer" has sold in excess of 3 million copies. It is published by Music Box Dancer Publications which is a subsidiary of Mayfair Montgomery Publishing.Film and television appearances
"Music Box Dancer" was for a while, the theme song of the local Los Angeles CBS half hour TV documentary show "2 on the Town" back in 1979 through the early 1980s."Music Box Dancer" has been heard on an episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and in the Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
movies. It was used as the theme tune to the BBC2 golf programme, A Round with Alliss.
There is a song in the musical Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
called Frank Mills, although the number has nothing to do with this artist.