Mildred was truly the "better half" of the harmonica-playing married duo
The Mulcays, along with
Jimmy Mulcay. Mildred was a trained multi-instrumentalist playing saxophone in an all-girl band when she met Jimmy, a tap-dancing Marine Band harmonica player who played by ear, and within a few months they married. The first time they played together as a duo on stage, she played piano, but as she practiced more on the chromatic harp, she eventually became even better than her husband, taking over the solos while he switched to chords. The Mulcays were a popular act in the 1940's and 1950's, touring internationally and entertaining troops, with occasional appearances in movies and on radio. Their recording of "My Happiness" became a million-selling number one hit in 1953. The Mulcays played mostly popular songs and very little blues, but in the movie
Variety Girl (1947) they showed the talent to play more raucous tunes like "Tiger Rag" and "Mildred's Boogie." They settled in the Hollywood Hills and continued to work as a duo until Jimmy died in 1968. Mildred then fronted the Don Les Harmonicats for about ten years and played the cruise ship circuit until retiring to Las Vegas.
