Stephanie Dorthea Mills[9][10] (born March 22, 1957)[1][11] is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Mills rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original 7 Time Tony Award Winning Broadway run of the musical The Wiz from 1974 to 1979. The song "Home" from the show later became a Number 1 U.S. R&B hit for Mills and her signature song. During the 1980s, Mills scored five Number 1 R&B hits, including "Home", "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love", "I Feel Good All Over", "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me" and "Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)". Mills won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her song "Never Knew Love Like This Before" in 1981.
Born Stephanie Dorthea Mills to Joseph and Christine Mills[2] (as well as raised) in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn,[12][13] Mills sang gospel music as a child at Brooklyn's Cornerstone Baptist Church. Mills began her professional career at age nine, appearing in the Broadway musical Maggie Flynn.[11] After winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater six weeks straight at age eleven, Mills went on to become the opening act for the Isley Brothers.[11] In 1973, Mills was signed to Paramount records by Michael Barbiero, and her first single "I Knew It Was Love" was released. Mills was later signed to Motown. Her first two albums there failed to produce a hit, and Mills left the label in 1976.
Mills's career took a rise when she portrayed Dorothy in the 7 Time Tony Award Winning Broadway musical The Wiz, an African-American adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Her song "Home" from the show would become her signature tune for years, and would be covered later by Diana Ross for the movie adaptation three years later. Commercial success in the music industry remained elusive until 1979, when she signed to the 20th Century Fox Records label. There, Mills found her niche in mainly disco music, recording songs such as "Put Your Body In It", "You Can Get Over", and "What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin'". The resulting album, What Cha' Gonna Do with My Lovin', was Mills's first gold record and the first major hit for the James Mtume-Reggie Lucas production team. She quickly followed the success with 1980's Sweet Sensation, which featured Mills's hit "Never Knew Love Like This Before". The single became a #12 R&B and #6 Pop hit in 1980, as well as reaching #4 in the UK Singles Chart.[14] 1981's Stephanie featured a top hit for her and Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Two Hearts".

Her 1983 album, Merciless, featured her hit cover of Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore?", as well as the #3 dance chart hit "Pilot Error", which was her first dance hit in the U.S. In 1984, Mills had her third UK hit with "The Medicine Song" (#29),[14] which also reached #1 on the U.S. dance chart and #8 on the R&B chart. On May 24, 1984, Mills returned to theater to star in a short-lived touring revival of The Wiz. The production closed on June 3, after 13 performances and 7 previews.[citation needed]