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Florence Mills (born Florence Winfrey; January 25, 1895 – November 1, 1927), known as the "Queen of Happiness", was an African-American cabaret singer, dancer, and comedian known for her effervescent stage presence, delicate voice, and winsome, wide-eyed beauty. ==Life and career== A daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Nellie (Simon) and John Winfrey, she was born Florence Winfrey in 1895 in Washington, D.C.. She began performing as a child, when at the age of six she sang duets with her two older sisters. They eventually formed a vaudeville act, calling themselves "The Mills Sisters".〔"Early Days Desperate, Says Flo", ''Pittsburgh Courier'', February 28, 1925, p. 14.〕 The act did well, appearing in theaters up and down the Atlantic seaboard. Florence's sisters eventually quit performing, but Florence stayed with it, determined to pursue a career in show business. In time, she joined Ada Smith, Cora Green, and Carolyn Williams in a group called the "Panama Four," with which she had some success. Mills became well known in New York as a result of her role in the successful Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along'' (1921) at Daly's 63rd Street Theatre (barely on Broadway), one of the events credited with beginning the Harlem Renaissance, as well as acclaimed reviews in London, Paris, Ostend, Liverpool, and other European venues. Mills told the press that despite her years in vaudeville, she credited ''Shuffle Along'' with launching her career.〔 In 1924 she headlined at the Palace Theatre, the most prestigious booking in all of vaudeville, and became an international superstar with the hit show ''Lew Leslie's Blackbirds'' (1926). Among her fans when she toured Europe was the Prince of Wales, who told the press that he had seen ''Blackbirds'' eleven times.〔Rob Roy, "Florence Mills Phenominal () Reign," ''Chicago Defender'', April 9, 1955, p. 7.〕 Many in the black press admired her popularity and saw her as a role model: not only was she a great entertainer but she was also able to serve as "an ambassador of good will from the blacks to the whites... a living example of the potentialities of the Negro of ability when given a chance to make good".〔"Florence Mills," ''Pittsburgh Courier'', November 12, 1927, p. A8.〕 Mills was featured in national magazines, ''Vogue'' and ''Vanity Fair,'' and photographed by Bassano's studios and Edward Steichen. She made a signature song from her biggest hit, "I'm a Little Blackbird Looking for a Bluebird"; another of her hit songs was "I'm Cravin' for that Kind of Love". From 1921 until her death in 1927, she was married to (Ulysses "Slow Kid" Thompson (1888–1990) ), whom she met in 1917 as the dancing conductor of a black jazz band known as the Tennessee Ten. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Florence Mills」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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