“Florence Mills: Harlem Jazz Queen”,

It is the name of the book by Bill Egan about incredibly talented African-American woman, who almost forgotten today due to poor recording at those days.
Florence Mills was born in 1896 in Washington DC in a very poor family. First time she appeared on the stage at the age of 4, and won talent contest for dancing. At the age of 9 she was arrested as an underage performer. Her family moved to New York in 1905, and Florence had to go to a normal school (according to the state law). Few years later she and her two sisters played vaudeville known as “The Mills Sisters”. She was a singer, dancer, and actress. She could make people smile and cry in the five minutes. She believed that through her talent and performance she will show that black people are the same as everybody else, and deserve equal rights.
She played in many musicals around the country, but became famous after taking the leading role in the Black musical “Shuffle Along”. She had the great success; she was “the first Black woman to be so featured”.
Couple years latter the show “Blackbirds” became world famous. It’s performed in France and England. Florence loved London, she wanted to stay there.
Florence Mills became sick (some sources say it was appendicitis, some – tuberculosis), and died after the surgery at the age of 31. Her funeral attended 150.000 people in Harlem – the largest funeral Harlem ever seen.

Florence Mills: A Lost Treasure, by Bill Egan
http://www.nathanielturner.com/florencemills.htm

Florence Mills house
Florence Mills (1895-1927), entertainer
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/pwwmh/ny24.htm

Negro: An Anthology, by Nancy Cunardhttp://books.google.com/books?id=MIf25BbAQxUC&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&dq=florence+mills&source=web&ots=biZI-PJK4c&sig=HfN98dA-kxeZufc24FhrZYZ-ww4#PPA201,M1