[Dixielandjazz] Florence Mills

[Phil O'Rourke]

It has been bought to my attention that there is a new (the only??)
biography of Florence Mills authored by Bill Egan.
Florence Mills was the first black female international superstar who died
at the young age of 31. She was the "Black Beauty" That Duke Ellington wrote
the song about after her death.

Bill Banfield, Director, American Cultural Studies/Jazz, University of St
Thomas said "A first-rate biography, researched with passion, scholarly
detail and clear commitment to the documentation of jazz artistry and
culture..."

Dan Morgenstern, Director, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University
says "By dint of dedicated and meticulous research, Bill Egan has managed to
almost bring his subject back to life. She emerges from these pages not as a
relic from the past but as a surprisingly contemporary and fully fledged
human being, a woman not only of great beauty, charm and talent, but also of
remarkable intelligence and humanity."

The book is published by Scarecrow press in Maryland, USA.(
www.scarecrowpress.com ). It has the ISBN 0-8108-5007-9

I have been told that it is available from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

If you want some more information on Florence Mills go to
www.tip.net.au/~wegan

Phil O'Rourke
Australia