Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Mills | |
---|---|
2020 United States Census | |
Born | [1] , New York, U.S. | March 22, 1957
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1966–present |
Spouse(s) |
[2][3][4] Dino Meminger
(m. 1989; div. 1991)Michael Saunders
(m. 1993; div. 2001) |
Children | 1 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Labels |
|
Website | https://iamstephaniemills.com/ |
Stephanie Mills
Biography
This section of a poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Stephanie Mills" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2022) |
Early life and career
Born Stephanie Dorthea Mills to Joseph and Christine Mills
1970s–1980s
Mills's career took a rise when she portrayed Dorothy in the seven-time Tony Award winning
She quickly followed the success with 1980's Sweet Sensation, which featured Mills's hit "
Her 1983 album, Merciless, featured her hit cover of Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore?", as well as the #3 dance chart hit "Pilot Error", which was her first dance hit in the U.S. In 1984, Mills had her third UK hit with "The Medicine Song" (#29),[18] which also reached #1 on the U.S. dance chart and #8 on the R&B chart. On May 24, 1984, Mills returned to theater to star in a short-lived touring revival of The Wiz.
In 1985, Mills's recording of "Bit by Bit (Theme from
Success for Mills had peaked until 1986, when her version of the
Mills's success continued with 1989's Home album. The hits from that album include "The Comfort of a Man", the title track, a cover of her old standard from The Wiz and another song penned by Winbush titled "Something in the Way You Make Me Feel", which became another platinum record for Mills.
1990s
Mills would record one more album (1992's Something Real) and a Christmas album before being released from her contract with MCA in 1992. In 1993, she once again starred in the role of Dorothy in The Wiz. This revival was also short lived, closing after 28 performances. Mills released a live gospel recording in 1994 on GospoCentric Records entitled Personal Inspirations. The set was produced by Donald Lawrence and featured a spiritualized retooling of her hit "I Have Learned To Respect The Power Of Love". Thereafter, Mills took a break from recording to care for her son.
In 1997, Mills played the lead in a major production of
2000s
In 2008, Mills began a comeback with singles recorded with
Mills made an appearance in the 2007 gospel TV series Sunday Best and was featured in a live interview on The Yolanda Adams Morning Show, where she mentioned that she has her own record label (JM Records). Mills performed prior to Pope Benedict XVI celebrating Mass at Yankee Stadium in New York on April 20, 2008. Her track, "Yesterday", is available for download on iTunes.
2010s
Towards the end of 2012, Mills released a new single "So In Love This Christmas", available for download. In 2015, Mills was cast as Aunt Em in the NBC live musical production of The Wiz, forty years after her initial Broadway run in the show.[20]
Mills made headlines in August 2018 with her response to singer
2020s
In November 2021, Mills participated in a Verzuz battle with singer Chaka Khan, at which both singers performed hits from their discography.[23]
Personal life
Mills has been married three times:[2][24][25][26]
- Jeffrey Daniel: (1980–1983), Jeffrey Daniel was from the R&B/soul group Shalamar.
- Dino Meminger: (1989–1991).
- Michael Saunders: (1993–2001), Minister Louis Farrakhan officiated the wedding ceremony.
Mills has a son, Farad Mills, who was born with Down syndrome.[27] She also once had a brief relationship with fellow singer Michael Jackson.[28]
Discography
- Studio albums
- Movin' in the Right Direction (1974)
- For the First Time (1975)
- Love Has Lifted Me (1976)
- What Cha' Gonna Do with My Lovin'(1979)
- Sweet Sensation (1980)
- Stephanie (1981)
- Tantalizingly Hot (1982)
- Merciless(1983)
- I've Got the Cure (1984)
- Stephanie Mills (1985)
- If I Were Your Woman (1987)
- Home (1989)
- Something Real (1992)
- Personal Inspirations (1994)
- Born for This! (2004)
Stage work
- Maggie Flynn (1968)
- The Wiz (1974–79; 1984; 1993)
- Harlem Suite (1988)
- Stephanie Mills Comes Home to Broadway (1989)
- Children of Eden (1997)
- Purlie (1998)
- Actors Fundbenefit concert)
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | Watch Your Mouth | Nadine | Episode: "New Blues" |
1983 | The Wiz | Dorothy Gale | Live recording |
1985 | The Love Boat | Tara | Episode: "Forties Fantasy" |
2015 | The Wiz Live! | Aunt Em | Television special |
2023 | Pride: Seven Deadly Sins | Birdie Moore | Television film |
Awards
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | The Wiz | Won |
1980 | Young Artist Awards
|
Best Young Musical Recording Artist – Female | Two Hearts | Nominated |
American Music Award
|
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | Herself | Nominated | |
1981 | Nominated | |||
Grammy Award
|
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | "Never Knew Love Like This Before" | Won | |
1982 | Stephanie | Nominated | ||
American Music Award
|
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | Herself | Won | |
1984 | Grammy Award
|
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | Merciless
|
Nominated |
1990 | American Music Award
|
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | Herself | Nominated |
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
- ^ a b @iamstephaniemills (August 12, 2017). "Celebrating 60 years of me". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ a b c Charles L. Sanders (February 1, 1982). "Stephanie Mills: The Painful Education Of A Young Superstar". Google Books. Ebony Magazine/Johnson Publishing Company. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "Marriage Gone Sour For Mills And Daniels". Google Books. JET Magazine/Johnson Publishing Company. August 27, 1981. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "Music: There's More To Stephanie Mills Than Meets The Eye". Google Books. Orange Coast Magazine. March 1, 1984. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "Special Occasion". Google Books. JET Magazine/Johnson Publishing Company. June 11, 1990. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ Annie Gowen (February 23, 1996). "There's Still No Place Like Home For Mills". articles.chicagotribune. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "Stephanie Mills Wed". Google Books. JET Magazine/Johnson Publishing Company. February 8, 1993. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ISBN 9781311441546. Retrieved May 19, 2018 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hogan, Ed. "Stephanie Mills Biography". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
- ^ AllMusic.com. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ Morris, C. Zawadi (February 4, 2012). "Today's Pride of Bed-Stuy: Stephanie Mills". Patch Bed-Stuy. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ "Stephanie Mills". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ "Stephanie Mills and Forty Years of 'The Wiz'". NBC News. December 2, 2015.
- ^ ""Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz" Released Today".
- ^ "Stephanie Mills, Broadway's original Dorothy in 'The Wiz,' cast as Aunt Em in the live NBC TV special". New York Daily News. May 11, 2015.
- ^ "Stephanie Mills".
- ^ "Stephanie Mills". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- AllMusic.com. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ "Stephanie Mills Cast in 'The Wiz Live!' on NBC". Deadline.com. May 11, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ Zauzmer, Emily (August 13, 2018). "Sam Smith Shades Michael Jackson While Boating with Adam Lambert — and Twitter Isn't Having It". People.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Golding, Shenequa (August 14, 2018). "Stephanie Mills To Sam Smith: 'Go Sit Your One-Hit Wonder Ass Down'". Vibe.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ Mitchell, Gail (November 19, 2021). "'Sister Love': Best Moments From Chaka Khan & Stephanie Mills' 'Verzuz' Legacy Showcase". Billboard. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ V109.9 "Happy Birthday Stephanie Mills" March 22, 2010 Archived July 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. V1019.radio.com (March 22, 2010). Retrieved on April 13, 2012
- ^ "The new Stephanie Mills – singer – Interview – Ebony – Find Articles". Archive.today. July 12, 2012. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ [1] Archived March 28, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Stephanie Mills : Interview". Windy City Times. Chicago. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ "'The Wiz' Star Stephanie Mills Opens Up About Dating Michael Jackson". Mjvibe.com. February 5, 2016.
External links
- Stephanie Mills at Wenig-LaMonica Associates
- Stephanie Mills at AllMusic
- Stephanie Mills at IMDb
- Stephanie Mills at the Internet Broadway Database