Alan Mills (musician)
Alan Mills | |
---|---|
Born | Albert Miller September 7, 1913 Lachine, Quebec, Canada |
Died | June 14, 1977 | (aged 63)
Nationality | Canadian |
Occupation(s) | folksinger, writer, and actor |
Known for | I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly |
Alan Mills CM (born Albert Miller; September 7, 1912 or 1913 – June 14, 1977 )[1] was a Canadian folksinger,[2] writer, and actor. He was best known for popularizing Canadian folk music,[3][4] and for his original song, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. He appeared on several radio and television programs and in movies.
Career
As a young man, Mills worked as a newspaperman. He left this work in about 1940 and took a job in radio.[5] He hosted a show for CBC radio on which he played Canadian folk music.
Mills began singing and recording traditional music from Canada, accompanying himself on guitar.
Mills was signed to take part in tour of the United States in 1960,[14] and that year performed at the Newport Folk Festival.[15]
He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1974 for his contributions to Canadian folklore.[16] Mills has also released several albums on Folkways Records of Canadian and French folk songs.
Discography
Release Date | Album Title | Label |
---|---|---|
1975 | Soirée Québecoise du temps des fêtes | Folkways Records |
1972 | 14 Numbers, Letters, & Animal Songs (with Bram Morrison )
|
Folkways Records |
1962 | Jewish Folk Songs (with Raasche) | Folkways Records |
1961 | Alan Mills and Jean Carignan: Songs, Fiddle Tunes and a Folk-Tale from Canada | Folkways Records |
1961 | Chantons en Francais, Vol. 2 | Folkways Records |
1961 | Chantons en Francais, Vol. 1 | Folkways Records |
1960 | Canada's Story in Song | Folkways Records |
1959 | Songs of the Maritimes: Lumberman Songs and Songs of the Sea | Folkways Records |
1958 | We'll Rant and We'll Roar: Songs of Newfoundland | Folkways Records |
1957 | French Folk Songs for Children in English | Folkways Records |
1957 | Christmas Songs from Many Lands | Folkways Records |
1957 | Songs of the Sea: Sung by Alan Mills and the Four Shipmates | Folkways Records |
1956 | Animals, Vol. 1 | Folkways Records |
1956 | Chansons d'Acadie | Folkways Records |
1956 | More Animals, Vol. 2 | Folkways Records |
1956 | O' Canada: A History in Song | Folkways Records |
1955 | Songs of French Canada (with Hélène Baillargeon) | Folkways Records |
1954 | More Songs to Grow On | Folkways Records |
1953 | Folk Songs of Newfoundland[17] | Folkways Records |
1953 | French Folk Songs for Children | Folkways Records |
1952 | Folk Songs of French Canada | Folkways Records |
n.d. "Chansons a Boire' [Venus VL 301]
Notes
- ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/alan-mills/ The Canadian Encyclopedia: Mills, Alan
- ISBN 978-0-7735-8937-7.
- ISBN 978-0-7735-1615-1.
- ISBN 978-1-4628-2859-3.
- ^ a b Ray McKinley Lawless (1960). Folksingers and folksongs in America: a handbook of biography, bibliography, and discography. Illustrated from paintings by Thomas Hart Benton and others, and from designs in Steuben glass. 1st ed. Sloan and Pearce. pp. 161–162.
- ISBN 978-1-62892-031-4.
- ^ Bertha E. Mahony Miller (1958). The Horn Book Magazine. Vol. 34. Horn Book, Incorporated. p. 406.
- ISBN 978-1-894725-06-4.
- ^ "Songs with Pictures" by M.B.K., Chicago Daily Tribune, November 12, 1961, page E34. (Reviewing a children's picture book of the music and lyrics of the song.)
- ISBN 978-1-4597-3774-7.
- ISBN 978-1-4875-9717-7.
- ISBN 1-55849-348-4.
- ISBN 978-0-394-49684-9.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-8308-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-6202-9.
- ^ "Alan Mills, CM". Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. Retrieved 2008-07-07.[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 978-0-7766-2385-6.
External links
- Discography for Alan Mills on Folkways
- "Alan Mills, Collaborator and Friend" by Edith Fowke, Canadian Folk Music Bulletin 30.3 (1996)
- Alan Mills at IMDb