The Mills Sisters, formerly known as the Singing Grandmas, were a group of three sisters from Torres Strait Islands, Rita Mills and twins Cessa and Ina.
Mills Sisters | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | Folk, blues, reggae |
| Years active | 1950s – 1996 |
| Members | Cessa Mills Ina Mills Rita Mills |
Early life
editIna and Cessa, who were twins, were born in 1927,[1] and Rita in 1934, on Naghir Island in the Torres Strait.[2] They have Torres Strait Islander heritage, including a great-grandmother of the Kaurareg people (the traditional owners of Possession Island, aka Bedanug), and a grandfather from Samoa. Ina married an Indonesian man from Timor.[1]
Their married names were Cessa Nakata, Ina Titasey, and Rita Fell-Tyrell.[3]
Career
editAll three sang and Rita played guitar, Cessa the ukulele and Ina the tambourine.[4]
Formerly known as the Singing Grandmas,[1] the group started singing in the 1950s,[5] with their first public appearances in pubs on Thursday Island,[6] and in the 1980s started to tour outside the Torres Strait.[5] They performed at the Brisbane Expo in 1988, the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland,[6] around Australia, and in the early 1990s toured England, France and New Zealand.[1] They also performed all over the Pacific[7]
Their version of "TI Blues" (a song written by Seaman Dan) has been called "a signature tune for the Torres Strait".[8] In 1995 they released an album, Frangipani Land.[1]
Cessa and Ina retired in 1995[6][3] or 1996 and Rita continued on a solo career,[9] until retiring in 2001,[10] and she died in 2004.[11][12]
Musical styles and languages
editThe Mills Sisters had a repertoire of over 200 songs, which ranged from Torres Strait Island love songs to contemporary music, and included country, blues, reggae. They sang in many languages besides English: a variety of Samoan, Hawaiian, Papua New Guinean, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island languages.[6]
Awards
editThe Australia Council for the Arts has since 1993 awarded a Red Ochre Award to an outstanding Indigenous Australian (Aboriginal Australian or Torres Strait Islander) artist for lifetime achievement. It was awarded to the Mills Sisters in 1995.[13]
In film
editThe half-hour documentary film Frangipani Land Forever was made by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Indigenous department in 2008 in their "Message Stick" series, directed by Douglas Watkin.[14][3]
Discography
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Ina's Story: The Memoir of a Torres Strait Islander Woman". Historians are Past Caring. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ Stewart, Paul (11 March 2001). "Rita calls it a day, at last". Sunday Herald Sun.
- ^ a b c "Message Stick - Frangipani Land Forever". ABC Commercial. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ The Australian, 13 December 2004, "Trailblazer sang Torres on to map" by Steve Connolly
- ^ a b Sunday Herald Sun, 14 March 1999, "Rita's family affair" by Paul Stewart
- ^ a b c d "Rita Mills". AustLit. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ Sunday Herald Sun, 11 March 2001, "Rita calls it a day, at last." by Paul Stewart
- ^ Pryor, Cathy (8 September 2001). "Northern Delights". The Australian.
- ^ Australian Associated Press General News, 28 March 2003, "Better late than never for Uncle Seaman" by Jordan Baker
- ^ "Sunnies select Cairns". Cairns Post. 31 August 2001.
- ^ Connolly, Steve (13 December 2004). "Trailblazer sang Torres on to map". The Australian.
- ^ "Tributes for Mills Sister". The Age. 8 December 2004. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Red Ochre Award". Australia Council for the Arts. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
- ^ "Frangipani Land Forever (2008) - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ Frangipani land listing
- ^ Those beautiful TI girls listing