TOP SONGS

“I Never Knew Love Like This Before”

“Whatcha Gonna Do With My Loving”

“Power of Love”

Biography:

Stephanie Mills first came to fame as “the little girl with the big voice” who played Dorothy in the hit Broadway play The Wiz, an adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic book The Wizard of Oz. She later had many R&B hits such as “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love,” “I Feel Good All Over,” “(You’re Puttin’) A Rush on Me,” “Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel),” and “Home,” along with one certified, million-selling single, “Never Knew Love Like This Before.” In addition, she also had five gold albums: Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin’, Sweet Sensation, Stephanie, If I Were Your Woman, and Home.

Born on March 22, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York, Mills honed her rich vocals singing gospel music at Brooklyn’s Cornerstone Baptist Church as a small child. At age nine, she appeared in the Broadway play Maggie Flynn. She was presented with first prize after winning “The Amateur Hour” talent contest six weeks in a row at New York’s famed Apollo Theater when she was nine. That success led to her being chosen as the opening act for the Isley Brothers, and she eventually becoming good friends with lead singer Ronald Isley. Many years later, Isley would manage and marry singer/songwriter Angela Winbush, who co-wrote one of Mills’ number one R&B hits. Mills’ debut album, Movin’ in the Right Direction was recorded for ABC Records in 1974. A year later, she won the role of Dorothy in The Wiz. Her rendition of the beautiful ballad “Home” was a showstopper, mesmerizing audiences nightly for a number of years. The original cast recording of The Wiz was produced by Jerry Wexler and issued by Atlantic Records in spring 1975. Curiously, when The Wiz was made into a full-length feature film by Motown Records’ film division and Universal Pictures, Diana Ross played the role of Dorothy instead of Mills. The film ended up being a major flop.

Singer Jermaine Jackson referred Mills to Motown head Berry Gordy, who signed her to the label. Her Motown debut was For the First Time, written and produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, issued in October 1976. For the First Time is a sweet affair with Mills convincingly covering Bacharach/David standards, most of which were originally recorded by Dionne Warwick. In 1978, she signed to 20th Century Records and was teamed with the hit production duo of James Mtume — later leader of Mtume, who had a gold single with “Juicy Fruit” — and Reggie Lucas. Her first LP for the label, Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin’, went gold, going to number 12 R&B and number 22 pop on Billboard’s charts in summer 1979 and spawned the singles “Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin'” and “You Can Get Over.” Her next LP, Sweet Sensation (number three R&B, number 16 Pop, spring 1980) yielded “Sweet Sensation,” “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” and the radio-aired LP track, “Try My Love.” Around this time, she briefly married former Soul Train dancer Jeffrey Daniel of the group Shalamar. Next came the LP titled Stephanie in spring 1981, which was also was a huge hit, peaking at number three R&B and number 30 Pop. The album included notable songs such as “Two Hearts” — a midtempo duet with Teddy Pendergrass — “Night Games,” and the radio-aired LP cut, “Don’t Stop Doin’ What Cha Do.”