Still later he took up the trombone, playing in the school band and becoming perhaps even more proficient at this second instrument. His sister took piano lessons and it was from listening to her practice he began to master the piano by ear. His mother was a piano player, his dad a businessman who was also known for his rousing Irish tenor. Music was a familiar presence in the Mills household in 1942, when Frank was born. As I looked at I said, “That’s what the song is, it’s the “Music Box Dancer!”Įarly childhood influences had a hand in preparing Frank Mills for events that led to his International stature and renown as a composer / arranger / pianist.
There was a little dancer who popped up and spun around on a pedestal. One day my young daughter came to me with a broken music box to mend.
