The Mills Brothers were the first black artists to have their own show on national network radio (on CBS in 1930); they made appearances in film;[2] and were the first to have a No.

Their father, John Hutchinson Mills (February 11, 1882 – December 8, 1967), was a barber with his own shop and founded a barbershop quartet[6] called "The Four Kings of Harmony".

After lessons at the Spring Street Grammar School, they gathered in front of their father's barbershop or on the corner to perform.

When the youngsters sang for Duke, he called Tommy Rockwell at Okeh Records, who signed them and brought the group to New York City.

In September 1930, Ralph Wonders urged broadcasting executive William S. Paley, at CBS Radio in New York, to turn on his office speaker and listen to an audition of four young men.

[9] Other hits followed – "Goodbye Blues", their theme song, "Nobody's Sweetheart", "Ole Rockin' Chair", "Lazy River", "How'm I Doin'", and others.

Their first, The Big Broadcast (Paramount Pictures, 1932) was an all-star radio revue that included Bing Crosby, Cab Calloway, and the Boswell Sisters.

They also recorded their classics "Lazy Bones", "Sweet Sue", "Lulu's Back In Town", "Bye-Bye Blackbird", "Sleepy Head", and "Shoe Shine Boy".

Herbert recalled,We left England for the last time just three days before war was declared on Germany and the only boat we could get was to Australia.

In the meantime the Ink Spots were coming up, and people had sort of forgotten us.In the period between John Jr.'s death and their return to the States, they re-recorded "Lazy River".

They honored Duke Ellington with a swing version of his "Caravan", and then produced a series of classic recordings; "South of the Border", which they performed in a tour of South America, along with "Ain't Misbehavin'", "It Don't Mean a Thing", "Jeepers Creepers", "Three Little Fishies", and "Basin Street Blues".

Although Smith's solo singing did not particularly resemble the group's usual sound, he was able to harmonize well until the fourth brother's return.

[13] "Opus One", an updated version of the Tommy Dorsey hit, was soon on the charts as well, followed by "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "The Jones Boy", "Yellow Bird", "Standing on the Corner", and "If I Had My Way".

[6] They reached the charts with "Yellow Bird" two years before Arthur Lyman's version was a Top Ten hit.

[3] The Mills Brothers' fiftieth anniversary in show business was celebrated in 1976 with a tribute at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, hosted by Bing Crosby.

[3] In 1998 the Recording Academy recognized the Mills family's contributions to popular music when it presented Donald, as the sole surviving member, with a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

After Donald's death of pneumonia on November 13, 1999, John II became the next family member to tour under the name "The Mills Brothers" with Elmer Hopper, who had previously sung lead with Paul Robi's Platters.