Roger Miller

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other people named Roger Miller, see Roger Miller (disambiguation).

Roger Miller
Miller in 1975
Born
Roger Dean Miller

(1936-01-02)January 2, 1936
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
DiedOctober 25, 1992(1992-10-25) (aged 56)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesRoger Miller Sr.
Roger D. Miller Sr.
"The Wild Child"
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, musician, actor
Years active1957–1992
Spouses
Barbara Crow
​
​
(m. 1953; div. 1964)​
Leah Kendrick
​
​
(m. 1964; div. 1976)​
​
(m. 1977)​
Children8, including Dean
Musical career
GenresCountry, novelty, comedy
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, fiddle, drums
Websiterogermiller.com

Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country hits "King of the Road", "Dang Me", and "England Swings".

After growing up in

Tony Award−winning Broadway musical Big River
, in which he acted.

Miller died from lung cancer in 1992 and was inducted into the

Country Music Hall of Fame three years later. His songs continued to be recorded by other singers, with covers of "Tall, Tall Trees" by Alan Jackson and "Husbands and Wives" by Brooks & Dunn; both reached the number one spot on country charts in the 1990s. The Roger Miller Museum — now closed — in his home town of Erick, Oklahoma
, was a tribute to Miller.

Early life

Roger Miller was born in Fort Worth, Texas, the third son of Jean and Laudene (Holt) Miller. Jean Miller died from spinal meningitis when Miller was a year old. Unable to support the family during the Great Depression,[1] Laudene sent her three sons to live with three of Jean's brothers. Thus, Miller grew up on a farm outside Erick, Oklahoma, with Elmer and Armelia Miller.[2]

As a boy, Miller did farm work, such as picking cotton and plowing. He later said he was "dirt poor" and that as late as 1951 the family did not own a telephone.[3] He received his primary education at a one-room schoolhouse. Miller was an introverted child who often daydreamed or composed songs. One of his earliest compositions went: "There's a picture on the wall. It's the dearest of them all, Mother."[1]

Miller was a member of the

jail. He later quipped, "My education was Korea, Clash of '52." Near the end of his military service, while stationed in Atlanta, Georgia, Miller played fiddle in the "Circle A Wranglers", a military musical group started by Faron Young.[1] While Miller was stationed in South Carolina, an army sergeant whose brother was Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns, from the musical duo Homer and Jethro, persuaded him to head to Nashville after his discharge.[2]

Career

Nashville songwriter

On leaving the Army, Miller traveled to Nashville to begin his musical career. He met with Chet Atkins, who asked to hear him sing, loaning him a guitar since Miller did not own one. Out of nervousness, Miller played the guitar and sang a song in two different keys. Atkins advised him to come back later, when he had more experience. Miller found work as a bellhop at Nashville's Andrew Jackson Hotel, and he was soon known as the "singing bellhop." He was finally hired by Minnie Pearl to play the fiddle in her band.[4] He then met George Jones, who introduced him to music executives from the Starday Records label who scheduled an audition. Impressed, the executives set up a recording session with Jones in Houston. Jones and Miller collaborated to write "Tall, Tall Trees" and "Happy Child."[1]

The human mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working before you're even born and doesn't stop again until you sit down to write a song.

— Roger Miller[5]

After marrying and becoming a father, Miller put aside his music career to be a fireman in

Bill Anderson later remarked that "Roger was the most talented, and least disciplined, person that you could imagine", citing the attempts of Miller's Tree Publishing boss, Buddy Killen to force him to finish a piece. He was known to give away lines, inciting many Nashville songwriters to follow him around since, according to Killen, "everything he said was a potential song."[1]

Recording career

Miller signed a recording deal with

RCA Victor, for whom Miller recorded "You Don't Want My Love" (also known as "In the Summertime") in 1960, which marked his first appearance on country charts, peaking at No. 14. The next year he made an even bigger impact, breaking through the top 10 with his single "When Two Worlds Collide", cowritten with Bill Anderson.[7] But Miller soon tired of writing songs, divorced his wife, and began a party lifestyle that earned him the moniker "wild child." He was dropped from his record label and began to pursue other interests.[1]

After numerous appearances on late night comedy shows, Miller decided that he might have a chance in Hollywood as an actor. Short of money, he signed with the up-and-coming label

Omaha), and "England Swings" (an adult contemporary No. 1). He began 1966 with the hit "Husbands and Wives, a mid-tempo waltz reflecting on issues that affect marriages."[8]

Miller was given

Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey in 1977. Miller collaborated with Willie Nelson on an album titled Old Friends. The title track was based on a song he had previously penned for his family in Oklahoma. The song, with guest vocals from Ray Price, was the last hit of Miller's career,[1] peaking at No. 19 on country charts in 1982.[8]

Late career

In 1970, Miller opened the King of the Road Inn, a Nashville hotel.

Southern Cultures, "With its rooftop lounge and accompanying penthouse suite (complete with a swinging double bed), Miller's King of the Road Inn was, for a time, the unofficial center of Nashville's thriving music scene."[10] It is now called the Clarion Hotel Downtown Nashville-Stadium.[11]

Miller continued to record for different record labels and charted a few songs, but stopped writing in 1978, feeling that his more "artistic" works were not appreciated.

Pap for three months after the exit of actor John Goodman, who left for Hollywood. In 1983 Miller played a dramatic role on an episode of Quincy, M.E. He played a country and western singer who is severely burned while freebasing cocaine.[1]

Miller left for Santa Fe to live with his family following the success of Big River. He co-wrote Dwight Yoakam's hit "It Only Hurts When I Cry" from his 1990 album If There Was a Way, and supplied background vocals.[13] The song was released as a single in 1991, peaking at No. 7 on country charts.[14] He began a solo guitar tour in 1990,[1] ending the following year after being diagnosed with lung cancer.[1] His last performance on television occurred on a special tribute to Minnie Pearl[2] which aired on TNN on October 26, 1992, the day after Miller's death.[15]

Style

Although he is usually grouped with country music singers, Miller's unique style defies easy classification. Many of his recordings were humorous novelty songs with whimsical lyrics, coupled with scat singing or vocalese riffs filled with nonsense syllables.[16] Others were sincere ballads which caught the public's fancy, like his signature song, "King of the Road".[17] The biographical book Ain't Got No Cigarettes described Miller as an "uncategorizable talent" and stated that many regarded him as a genius.[18]

Miller's whimsical lyrics and nonsense sounding style led to him writing and performing songs for children's films such as "Oo-de-Lally" for the Disney animated film Robin Hood.[19] During his most successful years as a songwriter and singer, Miller's music was placed in the country genre due to his somewhat country or folk sounding voice and the use of an acoustic guitar.[20] AllMusic wrote that in blending country with jazz, blues, and pop, Miller "utilized unusual harmonic and rhythmic devices in his sophisticated songcraft" and was an important influence on progressive country.[21]

On his own style, Miller remarked that he "tried to do" things like other artists but that it "always came out different" so he got "frustrated" until realizing "I'm the only one that knows what I'm thinking." He commented that the favorite song that he wrote was "You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd."[17] Johnny Cash discussed Miller's bass vocal range in his 1997 autobiography. He stated that it was the closest to his own that he had heard.[22]

Personal life and death

Miller was married three times and fathered eight children. Miller married Barbara Crow, from Shamrock, Texas, when they were both 17. Together the couple had four children, the first of whom died shortly after birth. As Miller's young family grew, his desire for fame and success continued to grow as well. After moving the family to California for a short time, Miller and Barbara divorced. Subsequent public interest in Miller led to the success he had long hoped for, but it also brought struggles that are often associated with life in the entertainment business: periods of burnout as well as alcohol[23] and substance abuse. His amphetamine use in the 1960s[24] has been described as both damaging of his career and helpful to his songwriting.[25] In 1972 he referred to amphetamines as "a snake pit I got into" and supported a ban on the drug in Oklahoma.[26]

Miller married Leah Kendrick of San Antonio in 1964. Together the couple had two children, Dean and Shannon.

After 14 years of marriage, Leah and Miller divorced in the mid-1970s. Miller eventually married Mary Arnold, whom he met through Kenny Rogers. Arnold was a replacement member in The First Edition, a band led by Rogers. After the breakup of The First Edition, she performed with her husband Miller on tours as a backup singer, including a performance at the White House before President Gerald Ford. In 2009 she was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.[27] Since Miller's death, she has managed his estate. She sued Sony for copyright infringement in the 2007 case Roger Miller Music, Inc. v. Sony/ATV Publishing, LLC, which went to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.[28] Arnold was ultimately awarded nearly $1 million in royalties and rights to the songs Miller wrote in 1964.[29]

Miller was a lifelong cigarette smoker. During a television interview, Miller explained how he composed his songs from "bits and pieces" of ideas he wrote on scraps of paper. When asked what he did with the unused bits and pieces, he half-joked, "I smoke 'em!" He also wrote a song about his habit, titled "Dad Blame Anything a Man Can't Quit". Miller died of lung and throat cancer in 1992, at age 56, shortly after the discovery of a malignant tumor beneath his vocal cords.[2]

Filmography

  • Waterhole No. 3 (1967) – Balladeer (voice)
  • Daniel Boone (1969) – Johnny Appleseed
  • Robin Hood (1973) – Alan-a-Dale – The Rooster (voice)
  • Sesame Street (1975) - Himself
  • Nestor, the Long–Eared Christmas Donkey
     (1977) – Spieltoe
  • The Muppet Show Season 3, Episode 21 (Airdate: May 10, 1979) – Himself
  • Quincy, M.E. (1983) On Dying High S8/Ep16 (undated CF 2825 well)
  • Murder, She Wrote Season 1, Episode 5, It's A Dog's Life (Airdate: November 4, 1984) the Sheriff
  • Lucky Luke (1991) – Jolly Jumper (voice)
  • Lucky Luke (8 episodes, 1992) – Jolly Jumper/narrator (voice)

Discography

Main article: Roger Miller discography

Awards

In addition to 11

Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995.[32] Miller won 11 Grammy Awards.[33] In Erick, Oklahoma, where he grew up, a thoroughfare was renamed "Roger Miller Boulevard" and a museum dedicated to Miller was built on the road in 2004.[34]

Below is a list of awards won by Miller:[35]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Biography". rogermiller.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e Landon, Grelun; Stambler, Irwin; Stambler, Lyndon (2000), "Roger Miller", The Encyclopedia of Country Music, Macmillan, pp. 311–314
  3. ^ a b "High School Papers". rogermiller.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  4. CMT
    . Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  5. ISBN 1-84353-229-8
    .
  6. ^
    Country Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original
    on April 30, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  7. ^ "Country Music News – Nash Country Daily". Countryweekly.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Roger Miller > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2010.[dead link]
  9. ^ "Nashville Then: Best 1970 music photos have a little bit of this and that and lot of country". The Tennessean. January 14, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  10. ISBN 9781469615967. Retrieved October 30, 2022. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help
    )
  11. ^ "Clarion Hotel Downtown Nashville-Stadium". Frommers. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  12. ^ Holden, Stephen (October 27, 1992). "Roger Miller, Quirky Country Singer and Songwriter, Is Dead at 56". The New York Times.
  13. ^ Jurek, Thom. "If There Was a Way". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  14. ^ "If There Was a Way > Chart & Awards > Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  15. ^ "In brief". New York Magazine: 85. October 26, 1992.
  16. ISBN 978-0-292-71029-0
    .
  17. ^ a b "The Unhokey Okie". Time. May 5, 1965. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011.
  18. ISBN 978-1-894283-60-1
  19. ^ "Roger miller agrees 'words are his toys'". Los Angeles Times. September 11, 1966.
  20. ^ JON P. (1987). "Music: Roger Miller". The New York Times.
  21. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Roger Miller". AllMusic. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  22. ^ Cash, Johnny (1997). Cash: The Autobiography.
  23. ^ "Roger Miller; 'King of the Road' Singer". Los Angeles Times. October 26, 1992.
  24. ^ Hurst, Jack (July 7, 1985). "Roger Miller's 'Big River' Lyrics Lead Him Down Another Musical". Chicago Tribune.
  25. ^ "Week 25: Roger Miller, King of the Road/Country's Class Clown". Music.avclub.com. January 12, 2010.
  26. ^ "Legacy: Roger Miller". Ew.com.
  27. ^ "Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association 2009 Hall of Fame Inductee..." Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
  28. ^ "Roger Miller Music, Inc., and Mary A. Miller v. Sont/ATV Publishing, LLC" (PDF). United States Court of Appeals. February 13, 2007.
  29. ^ "Roger Miller's Widow Wins – Court Victory Equals $900,000 in Royalties". National Ledger. March 23, 2010. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  30. ^ "Big River Tony Awards Info". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  31. ^ "Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame". Nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  32. ^ "Roger Miller". Country Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  33. ^ "Roger Miller". GRAMMY.com. May 22, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  34. CMT
    .
  35. ^ "Roger Miller". Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2010.

Sources

  • Cooper, Daniel. (1998). "Roger Miller." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 347–8.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roger Miller.
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