Biography
Albert Miller came into the world in Montreal in 1913 and eventually became Canada’s most widely admired folksinger. After studying journalism and joining the staff of the Montreal Gazette, he abandoned print work in the early thirties upon receiving an invitation to perform, joining the London Singers under John Goss for classical programs that reached audiences throughout Canada and the United States in the middle of the decade.
Once the war ended he returned to the classical stage, appearing with the Opera Guild of Montreal in productions of The Magic Flute and Madame Butterfly, but a 1947 CBC radio engagement as a folksinger brought him his first broad popularity. That opportunity led to RCA Victor recordings in Canada, including the children’s album Let’s Sing a Little, and in the early fifties he issued a series of Folkways collections devoted exclusively to Canadian material, frequently accompanied by Gilbert “Buck” LaCombe.
He also collaborated on Songs de Chez Nous with Hélène Baillargeon and the Art Morrow Singers. Subsequent tours carried him across Europe and earned him recognition in the United States, where he enjoyed particular success at the 1960 Newport Folk Festival alongside Jean Carignan; the resulting performance later appeared on Vanguard Records.
During the 1950s folk revival Mills achieved songwriting success when “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” written with Rose Bonne, was adopted by many performers, among them Burl Ives. In addition to his musical activities he pursued acting and playwriting, producing Ti-Jean and the Devil, a work drawn from a French-Canadian tale first related to him by Carignan.
Throughout his career he helped disseminate Canadian folklore, contributing substantially to RCA’s nine-volume Canadian Folk Songs: A Centennial Collection while also editing several widely used song collections aimed at young listeners that appeared from the late 1940s through the 1960s.
Once the war ended he returned to the classical stage, appearing with the Opera Guild of Montreal in productions of The Magic Flute and Madame Butterfly, but a 1947 CBC radio engagement as a folksinger brought him his first broad popularity. That opportunity led to RCA Victor recordings in Canada, including the children’s album Let’s Sing a Little, and in the early fifties he issued a series of Folkways collections devoted exclusively to Canadian material, frequently accompanied by Gilbert “Buck” LaCombe.
He also collaborated on Songs de Chez Nous with Hélène Baillargeon and the Art Morrow Singers. Subsequent tours carried him across Europe and earned him recognition in the United States, where he enjoyed particular success at the 1960 Newport Folk Festival alongside Jean Carignan; the resulting performance later appeared on Vanguard Records.
During the 1950s folk revival Mills achieved songwriting success when “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” written with Rose Bonne, was adopted by many performers, among them Burl Ives. In addition to his musical activities he pursued acting and playwriting, producing Ti-Jean and the Devil, a work drawn from a French-Canadian tale first related to him by Carignan.
Throughout his career he helped disseminate Canadian folklore, contributing substantially to RCA’s nine-volume Canadian Folk Songs: A Centennial Collection while also editing several widely used song collections aimed at young listeners that appeared from the late 1940s through the 1960s.
Albums
Singles
