69.152.253.223 (talk) I have added a daughters name of Shannon and corrected information regarding Mary's children who were adopted. |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Roger Miller was born in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], the third son of Jean and Laudene (Holt) Miller. Jean Miller died from spinal meningitis when Roger was only a year old. Unable to support the family during the [[Great Depression]],<ref name="bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.rogermiller.com/bio1.html Roger Miller |title=Biography |publisher=rogermiller.com }}</ref> she sent each of her three sons to live with a different brother of Jean. Thus, Roger grew up on a farm outside [[Erick, Oklahoma]] with Elmer and Armelia Miller.<ref name="enc">{{cite |last=Landon |first=Grelun |first2=Irwin |first3=Lyndon |last2=Stambler |last3=Stambler |title=Roger Miller |work=The Encyclopedia of Country Music |publisher=Macmillan |date=2000}}</ref> |
Roger Miller was born in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], the third son of Jean and Laudene (Holt) Miller. Jean Miller died from spinal meningitis when Roger was only a year old. Unable to support the family during the [[Great Depression]],<ref name="bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.rogermiller.com/bio1.html Roger Miller |title=Biography |publisher=rogermiller.com |accessdate=2010-07-11 }}</ref> she sent each of her three sons to live with a different brother of Jean. Thus, Roger grew up on a farm outside [[Erick, Oklahoma]] with Elmer and Armelia Miller.<ref name="enc">{{cite |last=Landon |first=Grelun |first2=Irwin |first3=Lyndon |last2=Stambler |last3=Stambler |title=Roger Miller |work=The Encyclopedia of Country Music |publisher=Macmillan |date=2000}}</ref> |
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As a boy, Miller picked [[cotton]] or plowed on the farm. He would later say he was "dirt poor" and that as late as 1951 the family did not own a telephone.<ref name="high">{{cite web |url=http://www.rogermiller.com/SchoolPaper.html |title=High School Papers |publisher=rogermiller.com }}</ref> He received his primary education at a one-room schoolhouse. Miller was an introverted child, and would often daydream or compose songs. One of his earliest compositions went: "There's a picture on the wall. It's the dearest of them all, Mother."<ref name="bio"/> |
As a boy, Miller picked [[cotton]] or plowed on the farm. He would later say he was "dirt poor" and that as late as 1951 the family did not own a telephone.<ref name="high">{{cite web |url=http://www.rogermiller.com/SchoolPaper.html |title=High School Papers |publisher=rogermiller.com |accessdate=2010-07-11 }}</ref> He received his primary education at a one-room schoolhouse. Miller was an introverted child, and would often daydream or compose songs. One of his earliest compositions went: "There's a picture on the wall. It's the dearest of them all, Mother."<ref name="bio"/> |
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Miller was a member of the [[Future Farmers of America]] in high school.<ref name="high"/> He listened to the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' and [[Light Crust Doughboys]] on a [[Fort Worth]] station with his cousin's husband [[Sheb Wooley]]. Wooley taught Miller his first guitar chords and bought him a fiddle. Wooley, [[Hank Williams]], and [[Bob Wills]] were the influences that led to Miller's desire to become a singer-songwriter. He began to run away and perform in Oklahoma and Texas. When he was 17, he stole a guitar out of desperation to write songs; however, he turned himself in the next day. He chose to enlist in the Army to avoid jail. He later quipped, "My education was [[Korean War|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]].<ref name="bio"/> While stationed in [[South Carolina]], an army sergeant whose brother was [[Kenneth C. Burns]] from the musical duo [[Homer and Jethro]], convinced Miller to head to Nashville after his demobilization.<ref name="enc"/> |
Miller was a member of the [[Future Farmers of America]] in high school.<ref name="high"/> He listened to the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' and [[Light Crust Doughboys]] on a [[Fort Worth]] station with his cousin's husband [[Sheb Wooley]]. Wooley taught Miller his first guitar chords and bought him a fiddle. Wooley, [[Hank Williams]], and [[Bob Wills]] were the influences that led to Miller's desire to become a singer-songwriter. He began to run away and perform in Oklahoma and Texas. When he was 17, he stole a guitar out of desperation to write songs; however, he turned himself in the next day. He chose to enlist in the Army to avoid jail. He later quipped, "My education was [[Korean War|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]].<ref name="bio"/> While stationed in [[South Carolina]], an army sergeant whose brother was [[Kenneth C. Burns]] from the musical duo [[Homer and Jethro]], convinced Miller to head to Nashville after his demobilization.<ref name="enc"/> |
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===Nashville songwriter=== |
===Nashville songwriter=== |
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After his discharge, Miller traveled to Nashville to begin his musical career. Once there, he met with [[Chet Atkins]], who asked to hear Miller, and even loaned him his guitar after learning that he 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 at a later date, after a little more work. Miller remained in Nashville and worked as a bellhop at the [[Andrew Jackson Hotel]], to make ends meet; he soon became known as the "singing bellhop," Meanwhile, he was hired by [[Minnie Pearl]] to play fiddle in her band,<ref name="cmt">{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/miller_roger_country_/bio.jhtml |title=Roger Miller Biography |publisher=[[CMT]]}}</ref> and later met up with [[George Jones]], who introduced him to music executives from the [[Mercury records|Mercury]]-[[Starday Records|Starday]] labels for an audition. The label was impressed with Miller and awarded him with a session in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], accompanied by Jones. Jones and Miller collaborated, writing "Tall, Tall Trees" and "Happy Child."<ref name="bio"/> |
After his discharge, Miller traveled to Nashville to begin his musical career. Once there, he met with [[Chet Atkins]], who asked to hear Miller, and even loaned him his guitar after learning that he 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 at a later date, after a little more work. Miller remained in Nashville and worked as a bellhop at the [[Andrew Jackson Hotel]], to make ends meet; he soon became known as the "singing bellhop," Meanwhile, he was hired by [[Minnie Pearl]] to play fiddle in her band,<ref name="cmt">{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/miller_roger_country_/bio.jhtml |title=Roger Miller Biography |publisher=[[CMT]] |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref> and later met up with [[George Jones]], who introduced him to music executives from the [[Mercury records|Mercury]]-[[Starday Records|Starday]] labels for an audition. The label was impressed with Miller and awarded him with a session in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], accompanied by Jones. Jones and Miller collaborated, writing "Tall, Tall Trees" and "Happy Child."<ref name="bio"/> |
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{{quote box| width = 20%| quote=The human mind is a wonderful thing, it starts working from before you're born and doesn't stop till you sit down to write a song'''| source = Roger Miller<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0589248/bio|title=Roger Miller|publisher=Imdb|accessdate=June 2, 2010}}</ref>}} |
{{quote box| width = 20%| quote=The human mind is a wonderful thing, it starts working from before you're born and doesn't stop till you sit down to write a song'''| source = Roger Miller<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0589248/bio|title=Roger Miller|publisher=Imdb|accessdate=June 2, 2010|accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref>}} |
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Disillusioned, Miller decided to leave for [[Amarillo, Texas]] and become a fireman.<ref name="bio"/> Miller worked as a fireman during the day and spent the nights performing gigs. He later recounted that as a fireman, he saw only two fires, a "chicken coop" and another that he "slept through." After the latter, the department "suggested that...[he] seek other employment." Miller met with Ray Price, and was hired as a member of his [[Cherokee Cowboys]]. He moved back to Nashville, and penned the song "Invitation to the Blues," which was covered by [[Rex Allen]] and later for Price, for whom it became a #3 hit on country charts.<ref name="hall">{{cite web |last=Cooper |first=Daniel |http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/roger-miller|title=The Roger Miller Story |publisher=[[Country Music Hall of Fame]]}}</ref> Miller signed with ''[[Tree Publishing]]'' on a salary of $50 a week. "Half a Mind" recorded by [[Ernest Tubb]], "That's the Way I Feel" recorded by Faron Young became hits; his first #1 song, "Billy Bayou," which along with "Home" were recorded by Jim Reeves. Miller became one of the biggest songwriters of the 1950s. However, [[Bill Anderson (country music)|Bill Anderson]] would later remark 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 also known to give away lines, inciting many Nashville songwriters to follow him around since "everything he said was a potential song." (Killen)<ref name="bio"/> |
Disillusioned, Miller decided to leave for [[Amarillo, Texas]] and become a fireman.<ref name="bio"/> Miller worked as a fireman during the day and spent the nights performing gigs. He later recounted that as a fireman, he saw only two fires, a "chicken coop" and another that he "slept through." After the latter, the department "suggested that...[he] seek other employment." Miller met with Ray Price, and was hired as a member of his [[Cherokee Cowboys]]. He moved back to Nashville, and penned the song "Invitation to the Blues," which was covered by [[Rex Allen]] and later for Price, for whom it became a #3 hit on country charts.<ref name="hall">{{cite web |last=Cooper |first=Daniel |http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/roger-miller|title=The Roger Miller Story |publisher=[[Country Music Hall of Fame]]}}</ref> Miller signed with ''[[Tree Publishing]]'' on a salary of $50 a week. "Half a Mind" recorded by [[Ernest Tubb]], "That's the Way I Feel" recorded by Faron Young became hits; his first #1 song, "Billy Bayou," which along with "Home" were recorded by Jim Reeves. Miller became one of the biggest songwriters of the 1950s. However, [[Bill Anderson (country music)|Bill Anderson]] would later remark 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 also known to give away lines, inciting many Nashville songwriters to follow him around since "everything he said was a potential song." (Killen)<ref name="bio"/> |
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[[File:Roger miller show.jpg|thumb|Miller performing "[[Husbands and Wives (song)|Husbands and Wives]]" on the set of his television show in 1966]] |
[[File:Roger miller show.jpg|thumb|Miller performing "[[Husbands and Wives (song)|Husbands and Wives]]" on the set of his television show in 1966]] |
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After numerous appearances on late night comedy shows, Miller decided that he might have a chance to go to Hollywood be an actor. However, short of money, he signed with the up and coming label [[Smash Records]], asked the label for $1,600 in cash, in exchange for recording 16 sides. Smash agreed to the proposal, and Miller performed at his first session for the company early in 1964, when he recorded the hits "Dang Me" and "[[Chug-a-Lug]]". Both were released as singles, peaking at #1 and #3 respectively on country charts; both also fared well on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] reaching #7 and #9.<ref name="all"/> The songs transformed Miller's career, although the former was penned by Miller in only four minutes. Later that year, he recorded the #15 hit "[[Do-Wacka-Do]]," and soon after the biggest hit of his career "King of the Road," which topped Country and Adult Contemporary charts while peaking at #4 on the Billboard 100. The song was inspired by a sign in Chicago that read "Trailers for Sale or Rent" and a [[hobo]] happened upon by Miller while at an airport in [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]], but took months for Miller to write. The song was certified gold in May 1965 after selling a million copies. It won Miller numerous awards, and earned him a royalty check worth $160,000 that summer.<ref name="bio"/> Later in the year Miller scored hits with "Engine Engine #9", "[[Kansas City Star]]" and "[[England Swings]]," an adult contemporary #1. He began 1966 with the hit "Husbands and Wives."<ref name="all">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:39fixqw5ldse~T51 |title=Roger Miller > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles |publisher=Allmusic}}</ref> |
After numerous appearances on late night comedy shows, Miller decided that he might have a chance to go to Hollywood be an actor. However, short of money, he signed with the up and coming label [[Smash Records]], asked the label for $1,600 in cash, in exchange for recording 16 sides. Smash agreed to the proposal, and Miller performed at his first session for the company early in 1964, when he recorded the hits "Dang Me" and "[[Chug-a-Lug]]". Both were released as singles, peaking at #1 and #3 respectively on country charts; both also fared well on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] reaching #7 and #9.<ref name="all"/> The songs transformed Miller's career, although the former was penned by Miller in only four minutes. Later that year, he recorded the #15 hit "[[Do-Wacka-Do]]," and soon after the biggest hit of his career "King of the Road," which topped Country and Adult Contemporary charts while peaking at #4 on the Billboard 100. The song was inspired by a sign in Chicago that read "Trailers for Sale or Rent" and a [[hobo]] happened upon by Miller while at an airport in [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]], but took months for Miller to write. The song was certified gold in May 1965 after selling a million copies. It won Miller numerous awards, and earned him a royalty check worth $160,000 that summer.<ref name="bio"/> Later in the year Miller scored hits with "Engine Engine #9", "[[Kansas City Star]]" and "[[England Swings]]," an adult contemporary #1. He began 1966 with the hit "Husbands and Wives."<ref name="all">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:39fixqw5ldse~T51 |title=Roger Miller > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref> |
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Miller was given [[The Roger Miller Show|his own TV show on NBC]] in September 1966 but it was canceled after 13 weeks in January 1967. During this period Miller recorded songs written by other songwriters. The final hit from his own composition was "Walkin In the Sunshine," which reached #7 and #6 on the country and adult contemporary charts in 1967<ref name="all"/> |
Miller was given [[The Roger Miller Show|his own TV show on NBC]] in September 1966 but it was canceled after 13 weeks in January 1967. During this period Miller recorded songs written by other songwriters. The final hit from his own composition was "Walkin In the Sunshine," which reached #7 and #6 on the country and adult contemporary charts in 1967.<ref name="all"/> Later in the year he scored his final top 10 hit with a cover of [[Bobby Russell]]'s "[[Little Green Apples]]."<ref name="bio"/> The next year, he was one of the first artists to cover [[Kris Kristofferson]]'s "[[Me and Bobbie McGee]],"<ref name="hall"/> taking the song to #12 on country charts.<ref name="all"/> In 1970, Miller recorded the album ''A Trip in the Country,'' made up of honky tonk standards penned by Miller, including "Tall, Tall Trees." Later that year, after Smash Records folded, Miller was signed by [[Columbia Records]], for whom he released ''Dear Folks: Sorry I Haven't Written Lately'' in 1973. Later that year, Miller wrote and performed three songs in the Walt Disney animated feature ''[[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Robin Hood]]'' as the rooster/minstrel [[Alan-a-Dale]], including "Whistle-Stop" which was sampled for use in [[The Hampster Dance]] internet meme.<ref name="bio"/> He also provided the voice of Speiltoe, the equine narrator of the [[Rankin/Bass]] holiday special ''[[Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey]]'' in 1978.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076448/ |title=Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey |publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref> Miller collaborated with Willie Nelson to create 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,<ref name="bio"/> peaking at #19 on country charts in 1982.<ref name="all"/> |
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===Late career=== |
===Late career=== |
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In 1970 Miller played as Johny Appleseed on the TVs hit show "Daniel Boone" staring Fess Parker with Patricia Blair and |
In 1970 Miller played as Johny Appleseed on the TVs hit show "Daniel Boone" staring Fess Parker with Patricia Blair and |
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Darby Hinton. Miller stopped writing songs in 1978, feeling that his more "artistic" works were not being appreciated.<ref name="enc"/> He was absent from the entertainment business following the release of ''Old Friends'' but returned after receiving an offer to write a Broadway score for a new musical based upon [[Mark Twain]]'s ''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]].'' Although he had never read the novel, Miller accepted the offer after discovering how the story brought him back to his childhood in rural Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite |
Darby Hinton. Miller stopped writing songs in 1978, feeling that his more "artistic" works were not being appreciated.<ref name="enc"/> He was absent from the entertainment business following the release of ''Old Friends'' but returned after receiving an offer to write a Broadway score for a new musical based upon [[Mark Twain]]'s ''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]].'' Although he had never read the novel, Miller accepted the offer after discovering how the story brought him back to his childhood in rural Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/27/arts/roger-miller-quirky-country-singer-and-songwriter-is-dead-at-56.html |title=Roger Miller, Quirky Country Singer and Songwriter, Is Dead at 56 |work=New York Times |date=October 27, 1992}}</ref> It took him a year and a half to write the opening but he eventually finished. The work, entitled ''Big River'' premiered at [[Eugene O'Neill Theatre]] in New York on April 25, 1985. The musical received glowing reviews, earning seven Tony Awards including "Best Score" for Miller. He also acted the part of Huck Finn's father [[List of characters in the Tom Sawyer series#Pap Finn|Pap]] for three months after the exit of actor [[John Goodman]], who left for Hollywood.<ref name="bio"/> |
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Miller left to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] to live with his family following the success of ''Big River''. However, in 1990 he began a solo guitar tour.<ref name="bio"/> Miller 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jurek |first=Thom |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfrxqwgldae |title=If There Was a Way |publisher=Allmusic}}</ref> The song was released as a single in 1991, peaking at #7 on country charts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfrxqwgldae~T31 |title=If There Was a Way > Chart & Awards > Billboard Singles |publisher=Allmusic}}</ref> Miller ended his tour after being diagnosed with lung cancer in the fall of 1991.<ref name="bio"/> His last performance on television occurred during a special tribute to Minnie Pearl<ref name="enc"/> that aired on [[The Nashville Network|TNN]] on October 26, 1992, the day following Miller's death.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inbaseline.com/project.aspx?project_id=49479 |title=Hats Off to Minnie Pearl: America Honors Minnie Pearl |publisher=InBaseline}}</ref> |
Miller left to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] to live with his family following the success of ''Big River''. However, in 1990 he began a solo guitar tour.<ref name="bio"/> Miller 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jurek |first=Thom |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfrxqwgldae |title=If There Was a Way |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref> The song was released as a single in 1991, peaking at #7 on country charts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfrxqwgldae~T31 |title=If There Was a Way > Chart & Awards > Billboard Singles |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=2010-07-11 |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref> Miller ended his tour after being diagnosed with lung cancer in the fall of 1991.<ref name="bio"/> His last performance on television occurred during a special tribute to Minnie Pearl<ref name="enc"/> that aired on [[The Nashville Network|TNN]] on October 26, 1992, the day following Miller's death.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inbaseline.com/project.aspx?project_id=49479 |title=Hats Off to Minnie Pearl: America Honors Minnie Pearl |publisher=InBaseline}}{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> |
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==Style== |
==Style== |
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Although 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.{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}} Others were sincere ballads, which also caught the public's fancy, none more so than his signature song, "King of the Road."<ref name="time"/> The biographical book ''Ain't Got No Cigarettes'' described Miller as an "uncategorizable talent", and stated that many regarded him as a genius.<ref name="ain't">{{cite |last=Style |first=Lyle |title=Ain't Got No Cigarettes |publisher=[[University of Virginia]]}}</ref> |
Although 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.{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}} Others were sincere ballads, which also caught the public's fancy, none more so than his signature song, "King of the Road."<ref name="time"/> The biographical book ''Ain't Got No Cigarettes'' described Miller as an "uncategorizable talent", and stated that many regarded him as a genius.<ref name="ain't">{{cite |last=Style |first=Lyle |title=Ain't Got No Cigarettes |publisher=[[University of Virginia]]}}</ref> |
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On this own personal 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."<ref name="time">{{cite |
On this own personal 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."<ref name="time">{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833570,00.html |title=The Unhokey Okie |work=Time Magazine |date=May 5, 1965}}</ref> [[Johnny Cash]] discussed Miller's bass vocal range in his [[Cash: The Autobiography|1997 autobiography]]. He commented that it was the closest to his own that he had heard. |
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==Personal life and death== |
==Personal life and death== |
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Miller was married three times, and fathered seven children. Miller's first wife Barbara bore his first child, Michael, who later died. The couple had 3 more children subsequent to Michael's death—Alan, Rhonda and Shari.<ref name="imdb">{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0589248/bio |title=Biography for Roger Miller |publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]}}</ref> By the time Shari was born, Miller's career was beginning to blossom into national popularity. The family remained in Inglewood for a short time after Miller found fame. The increasing interest in Miller caused struggles for the performer: he suffered from depression and insomnia and had a drug addiction that catalyzed the end of both his first and second marriages; Miller was known to walk off of shows and get into fights.<ref name="ain't"/> After a divorce with his first wife,<ref name="imdb"/> he married Leah Kendrick. She gave birth to two children, Shannon and his son, [[Dean Miller]],<ref name="texas">{{cite web |last=Van Ostrand |first=Maggie |url=http://www.texasescapes.com/MaggieVanOstrand/RogerMiller1203.htm |title=Thirty or More Things You Should Know About Roger Miller |publisher=texasescapes.com |date=October 26, 2006}}</ref> who like his father, went on to become a singer-songwriter.<ref name="imdb"/> The Christmas song, "Old Toy Trains" was written by Miller about his son, who was only two years old when it was released in 1967. After divorcing Leah, Miller married Mary Arnold, whom he had met through [[Kenny Rogers]].<ref name=arnold/> Arnold was a member of [[Kenny Rogers]]' backing band, [[The First Edition]].<ref name="texas"/> They adopted two children: Taylor and Adam. After The First Edition, she subsequently performed with Miller on tours, including a White House performance for President [[Gerald Ford]]. In 2009 she was inducted into the Iowa Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame,<ref name=arnold>{{cite web |url=http://www.iowarocknroll.com/inductee-details.php?id=226 |title=Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association 2009 Hall of Fame Inductee... |publisher=Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association}}</ref> Arnold currently manages Roger Miller's estate. She sued [[Sony]] for copyright infringement in the 2007 case [[wikisource:Roger Miller Music, Inc. v. Sony/ATV Publishing, LLC|Roger Miller Music, Inc. v. Sony/ATV Publishing, LLC]], which went to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/07a0060p-06.pdf |title=Roger Miller Music, Inc., and Mary A. Miller v. Sont/ATV Publishing, LLC |publisher=United States Court of Appeals |date=February 13, 2007}}</ref> Arnold was ultimately awarded nearly $1 million in royalties and rights to the songs Miller wrote in 1964.<ref>{{ |
Miller was married three times, and fathered seven children. Miller's first wife Barbara bore his first child, Michael, who later died. The couple had 3 more children subsequent to Michael's death—Alan, Rhonda and Shari.<ref name="imdb">{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0589248/bio |title=Biography for Roger Miller |publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref> By the time Shari was born, Miller's career was beginning to blossom into national popularity. The family remained in Inglewood for a short time after Miller found fame. The increasing interest in Miller caused struggles for the performer: he suffered from depression and insomnia and had a drug addiction that catalyzed the end of both his first and second marriages; Miller was known to walk off of shows and get into fights.<ref name="ain't"/> After a divorce with his first wife,<ref name="imdb"/> he married Leah Kendrick. She gave birth to two children, Shannon and his son, [[Dean Miller]],<ref name="texas">{{cite web |last=Van Ostrand |first=Maggie |url=http://www.texasescapes.com/MaggieVanOstrand/RogerMiller1203.htm |title=Thirty or More Things You Should Know About Roger Miller |publisher=texasescapes.com |date=October 26, 2006}}</ref> who like his father, went on to become a singer-songwriter.<ref name="imdb"/> The Christmas song, "Old Toy Trains" was written by Miller about his son, who was only two years old when it was released in 1967. After divorcing Leah, Miller married Mary Arnold, whom he had met through [[Kenny Rogers]].<ref name=arnold/> Arnold was a member of [[Kenny Rogers]]' backing band, [[The First Edition]].<ref name="texas"/> They adopted two children: Taylor and Adam. After The First Edition, she subsequently performed with Miller on tours, including a White House performance for President [[Gerald Ford]]. In 2009 she was inducted into the Iowa Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame,<ref name=arnold>{{cite web |url=http://www.iowarocknroll.com/inductee-details.php?id=226 |title=Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association 2009 Hall of Fame Inductee... |publisher=Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref> Arnold currently manages Roger Miller's estate. She sued [[Sony]] for copyright infringement in the 2007 case [[wikisource:Roger Miller Music, Inc. v. Sony/ATV Publishing, LLC|Roger Miller Music, Inc. v. Sony/ATV Publishing, LLC]], which went to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/07a0060p-06.pdf |title=Roger Miller Music, Inc., and Mary A. Miller v. Sont/ATV Publishing, LLC |publisher=United States Court of Appeals |date=February 13, 2007}}</ref> Arnold was ultimately awarded nearly $1 million in royalties and rights to the songs Miller wrote in 1964.<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.nationalledger.com/ledgerpop/article_272630978.shtml |
|url=http://www.nationalledger.com/ledgerpop/article_272630978.shtml |
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|title=Roger Miller's Widow Wins – Court Victory Equals $900,000 in Royalties |
|title=Roger Miller's Widow Wins – Court Victory Equals $900,000 in Royalties |
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===Main albums=== |
===Main albums=== |
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<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:39fixqw5ldse~T2 |title=Roger Miller > Discography > Main Albums |publisher=Allmusic}}</ref> |
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:39fixqw5ldse~T2 |title=Roger Miller > Discography > Main Albums |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref> |
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*''[[Roger and Out]]'' (1964) |
*''[[Roger and Out]]'' (1964) |
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*''[[The Return of Roger Miller]]'' (1965) |
*''[[The Return of Roger Miller]]'' (1965) |
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In addition to 11 [[Grammy Award]]s, Roger Miller won Broadway's [[Tony award]] for writing the music and lyrics for ''Big River'', which won a total of 7 Tonys including best musical in 1985. He was voted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1973 and the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] in 1995. Miller's 11 Grammy Awards held the record as the most won by any artist until [[Michael Jackson]]'s 1982 album ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]''.<ref name="texas"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Flippo |first=Chet |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/nashville-skyline/1488141/nashville-skyline-roger-miller-gets-a-museum.jhtml |title=Nashville Skyline: Roger Miller Gets a Museum |publisher=[[CMT]] |date=June 3, 2004}}</ref> |
In addition to 11 [[Grammy Award]]s, Roger Miller won Broadway's [[Tony award]] for writing the music and lyrics for ''Big River'', which won a total of 7 Tonys including best musical in 1985. He was voted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1973 and the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] in 1995. Miller's 11 Grammy Awards held the record as the most won by any artist until [[Michael Jackson]]'s 1982 album ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]''.<ref name="texas"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Flippo |first=Chet |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/nashville-skyline/1488141/nashville-skyline-roger-miller-gets-a-museum.jhtml |title=Nashville Skyline: Roger Miller Gets a Museum |publisher=[[CMT]] |date=June 3, 2004}}</ref> |
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Below is a list of awards won by Miller:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/l-o/roger-miller.aspx |title=Roger Miller |publisher=Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame}}</ref> |
Below is a list of awards won by Miller:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/l-o/roger-miller.aspx |title=Roger Miller |publisher=Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame |accessdate=2010-07-11}}</ref> |
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*1964 — [[Grammy Award]]: Best Country Song: "Dang Me" |
*1964 — [[Grammy Award]]: Best Country Song: "Dang Me" |
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*{{imdb|0589248}} |
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*{{ibdb name|id=12151}} |
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*[http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/inductees.aspx?cid=143 Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum] |
*[http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/inductees.aspx?cid=143 Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]{{dead link|date=July 2010}} |
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*[http://www.rogermillermuseum.com/ Roger Miller Museum in Erick, Oklahoma] |
*[http://www.rogermillermuseum.com/ Roger Miller Museum in Erick, Oklahoma] |
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Revision as of 01:08, 11 July 2010
Roger Miller |
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Roger Dean Miller (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs. His most recognized tunes included the chart-topping country/pop hits "King of the Road", "Dang Me" and "England Swings", all from the mid-1960s Nashville sound era.
After growing up in Oklahoma and serving in the United States military, Miller began his musical career as a songwriter in the late 1950s, penning such hits as "Billy Bayou" and "Home" for Jim Reeves and "Invitation to the Blues" for Ray Price. He later started a recording career and reached the peak of his fame in the late-1960s, but continued to record and tour into the 1990s, charting his final top 20 country hit "Old Friends" with Willie Nelson in 1982. Later in his life, he wrote the music and lyrics for the 1985 Tony-award winning Broadway musical Big River, in which he also acted.
Miller died from lung cancer in 1992, and was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame three years later. His songs continued to be recorded by younger artists, with covers of "Tall, Tall Trees" by Alan Jackson and "Husbands and Wives" by Brooks & Dunn, each reaching the #1 spot on country charts in the 1990s. The Roger Miller Museum in his home town serves as 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 Roger was only a year old. Unable to support the family during the Great Depression,[1] she sent each of her three sons to live with a different brother of Jean. Thus, Roger grew up on a farm outside Erick, Oklahoma with Elmer and Armelia Miller.[2]
As a boy, Miller picked cotton or plowed on the farm. He would later say 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, and would often daydream or compose 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 Future Farmers of America in high school.[3] He listened to the Grand Ole Opry and Light Crust Doughboys on a Fort Worth station with his cousin's husband Sheb Wooley. Wooley taught Miller his first guitar chords and bought him a fiddle. Wooley, Hank Williams, and Bob Wills were the influences that led to Miller's desire to become a singer-songwriter. He began to run away and perform in Oklahoma and Texas. When he was 17, he stole a guitar out of desperation to write songs; however, he turned himself in the next day. He chose to enlist in the Army to avoid 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 stationed in South Carolina, an army sergeant whose brother was Kenneth C. Burns from the musical duo Homer and Jethro, convinced Miller to head to Nashville after his demobilization.[2]
Career
Nashville songwriter
After his discharge, Miller traveled to Nashville to begin his musical career. Once there, he met with Chet Atkins, who asked to hear Miller, and even loaned him his guitar after learning that he 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 at a later date, after a little more work. Miller remained in Nashville and worked as a bellhop at the Andrew Jackson Hotel, to make ends meet; he soon became known as the "singing bellhop," Meanwhile, he was hired by Minnie Pearl to play fiddle in her band,[4] and later met up with George Jones, who introduced him to music executives from the Mercury-Starday labels for an audition. The label was impressed with Miller and awarded him with a session in Houston, accompanied by Jones. Jones and Miller collaborated, writing "Tall, Tall Trees" and "Happy Child."[1]
The human mind is a wonderful thing, it starts working from before you're born and doesn't stop till you sit down to write a song
Roger Miller[5]
Disillusioned, Miller decided to leave for Amarillo, Texas and become a fireman.[1] Miller worked as a fireman during the day and spent the nights performing gigs. He later recounted that as a fireman, he saw only two fires, a "chicken coop" and another that he "slept through." After the latter, the department "suggested that...[he] seek other employment." Miller met with Ray Price, and was hired as a member of his Cherokee Cowboys. He moved back to Nashville, and penned the song "Invitation to the Blues," which was covered by Rex Allen and later for Price, for whom it became a #3 hit on country charts.[6] Miller signed with Tree Publishing on a salary of $50 a week. "Half a Mind" recorded by Ernest Tubb, "That's the Way I Feel" recorded by Faron Young became hits; his first #1 song, "Billy Bayou," which along with "Home" were recorded by Jim Reeves. Miller became one of the biggest songwriters of the 1950s. However, Bill Anderson would later remark 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 also known to give away lines, inciting many Nashville songwriters to follow him around since "everything he said was a potential song." (Killen)[1]
Recording career
Miller signed a recording deal with Decca Records in 1958. He was paired with singer Donny Little, who would later gain fame under the name Johnny Paycheck, to perform the Little-penned "A Man Like Me", and later "The Wrong Kind of Girl." Both songs were honky tonk and did not chart. His second single with the label, featuring the B-side "Jason Fleming," foreshadowed Miller's future style. To make extra money, Miller went on tour and joined Faron Young's band as a drummer, although he had never drummed before. During this period, he signed a record deal with Chet Atkins at RCA Records, 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 #14. The next year, he would make an even bigger impact, breaking through the top 10 with his single "When Two Worlds Collide," co-written with Bill Anderson. But Miller soon grew tired of writing songs and began a 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 to go to Hollywood be an actor. However, short of money, he signed with the up and coming label Smash Records, asked the label for $1,600 in cash, in exchange for recording 16 sides. Smash agreed to the proposal, and Miller performed at his first session for the company early in 1964, when he recorded the hits "Dang Me" and "Chug-a-Lug". Both were released as singles, peaking at #1 and #3 respectively on country charts; both also fared well on the Billboard Hot 100 reaching #7 and #9.[7] The songs transformed Miller's career, although the former was penned by Miller in only four minutes. Later that year, he recorded the #15 hit "Do-Wacka-Do," and soon after the biggest hit of his career "King of the Road," which topped Country and Adult Contemporary charts while peaking at #4 on the Billboard 100. The song was inspired by a sign in Chicago that read "Trailers for Sale or Rent" and a hobo happened upon by Miller while at an airport in Boise, but took months for Miller to write. The song was certified gold in May 1965 after selling a million copies. It won Miller numerous awards, and earned him a royalty check worth $160,000 that summer.[1] Later in the year Miller scored hits with "Engine Engine #9", "Kansas City Star" and "England Swings," an adult contemporary #1. He began 1966 with the hit "Husbands and Wives."[7]
Miller was given his own TV show on NBC in September 1966 but it was canceled after 13 weeks in January 1967. During this period Miller recorded songs written by other songwriters. The final hit from his own composition was "Walkin In the Sunshine," which reached #7 and #6 on the country and adult contemporary charts in 1967.[7] Later in the year he scored his final top 10 hit with a cover of Bobby Russell's "Little Green Apples."[1] The next year, he was one of the first artists to cover Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobbie McGee,"[6] taking the song to #12 on country charts.[7] In 1970, Miller recorded the album A Trip in the Country, made up of honky tonk standards penned by Miller, including "Tall, Tall Trees." Later that year, after Smash Records folded, Miller was signed by Columbia Records, for whom he released Dear Folks: Sorry I Haven't Written Lately in 1973. Later that year, Miller wrote and performed three songs in the Walt Disney animated feature Robin Hood as the rooster/minstrel Alan-a-Dale, including "Whistle-Stop" which was sampled for use in The Hampster Dance internet meme.[1] He also provided the voice of Speiltoe, the equine narrator of the Rankin/Bass holiday special Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey in 1978.[8] Miller collaborated with Willie Nelson to create 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 #19 on country charts in 1982.[7]
Late career
In 1970 Miller played as Johny Appleseed on the TVs hit show "Daniel Boone" staring Fess Parker with Patricia Blair and Darby Hinton. Miller stopped writing songs in 1978, feeling that his more "artistic" works were not being appreciated.[2] He was absent from the entertainment business following the release of Old Friends but returned after receiving an offer to write a Broadway score for a new musical based upon Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Although he had never read the novel, Miller accepted the offer after discovering how the story brought him back to his childhood in rural Oklahoma.[9] It took him a year and a half to write the opening but he eventually finished. The work, entitled Big River premiered at Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York on April 25, 1985. The musical received glowing reviews, earning seven Tony Awards including "Best Score" for Miller. He also acted the part of Huck Finn's father Pap for three months after the exit of actor John Goodman, who left for Hollywood.[1]
Miller left to Santa Fe to live with his family following the success of Big River. However, in 1990 he began a solo guitar tour.[1] Miller 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.[10] The song was released as a single in 1991, peaking at #7 on country charts.[11] Miller ended his tour after being diagnosed with lung cancer in the fall of 1991.[1] His last performance on television occurred during a special tribute to Minnie Pearl[2] that aired on TNN on October 26, 1992, the day following Miller's death.[12]
Style
Although 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.[citation needed] Others were sincere ballads, which also caught the public's fancy, none more so than his signature song, "King of the Road."[13] The biographical book Ain't Got No Cigarettes described Miller as an "uncategorizable talent", and stated that many regarded him as a genius.[14]
On this own personal 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."[13] Johnny Cash discussed Miller's bass vocal range in his 1997 autobiography. He commented that it was the closest to his own that he had heard.
Personal life and death
Miller was married three times, and fathered seven children. Miller's first wife Barbara bore his first child, Michael, who later died. The couple had 3 more children subsequent to Michael's death—Alan, Rhonda and Shari.[15] By the time Shari was born, Miller's career was beginning to blossom into national popularity. The family remained in Inglewood for a short time after Miller found fame. The increasing interest in Miller caused struggles for the performer: he suffered from depression and insomnia and had a drug addiction that catalyzed the end of both his first and second marriages; Miller was known to walk off of shows and get into fights.[14] After a divorce with his first wife,[15] he married Leah Kendrick. She gave birth to two children, Shannon and his son, Dean Miller,[16] who like his father, went on to become a singer-songwriter.[15] The Christmas song, "Old Toy Trains" was written by Miller about his son, who was only two years old when it was released in 1967. After divorcing Leah, Miller married Mary Arnold, whom he had met through Kenny Rogers.[17] Arnold was a member of Kenny Rogers' backing band, The First Edition.[16] They adopted two children: Taylor and Adam. After The First Edition, she subsequently performed with Miller on tours, including a White House performance for President Gerald Ford. In 2009 she was inducted into the Iowa Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame,[17] Arnold currently manages Roger Miller's estate. She sued Sony for copyright infringement in the 2007 case Roger Miller Music, Inc. v. Sony/ATV Publishing, LLC, which went to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.[18] Arnold was ultimately awarded nearly $1 million in royalties and rights to the songs Miller wrote in 1964.[19]
Miller was a lifelong cigarette smoker. During a television interview Miller once explained that 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!" Miller died of lung and throat cancer in 1992, at the age of 56 shortly after the discovery of a growth under his vocal cords.[2]
Discography
Roger Miller discography | |
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Studio albums | 19 |
Live albums | 3 |
Compilation albums | 69 |
Singles | 37 |
No.1 Single | 3 |
Main albums
- Roger and Out (1964)
- The Return of Roger Miller (1965)
- The 3rd Time Around (1965)
- Words and Music (1966)
- Walkin' in the Sunshine (1967)
- A Tender Look at Love (1968)
- Roger Miller (1969)
- Roger Miller Featuring Dang Me! (1969)
- A Trip in the Country (1970)
- Roger Miller 1970 (1970)
- Dear Folks, Sorry I Haven't Written Lately (1973)
- Celebration (1976)
- Painted Poetry (1977)
- Off the Wall (1978)
- Waterhole #3 (1978)
- Making a Name for Myself (1979)
- Old Friends (with Willie Nelson) (1982)
- The Country Side of Roger Miller (1986)
- Green Green Grass of Home (1994)
#1 singles
- Released and recorded by Miller[7]
- "Dang Me" (1964)
- "King of the Road" (1965)
- "England Swings" (1966)
- Recorded and released by other artists
- "Billy Bayou" – Jim Reeves (1958)
- "Don't We All Have the Right" – Ricky Van Shelton (1988)
- "Tall, Tall Trees" – Alan Jackson (1995)
- "Husbands and Wives" – Brooks & Dunn (1998)
Awards
In addition to 11 Grammy Awards, Roger Miller won Broadway's Tony award for writing the music and lyrics for Big River, which won a total of 7 Tonys including best musical in 1985. He was voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995. Miller's 11 Grammy Awards held the record as the most won by any artist until Michael Jackson's 1982 album Thriller.[16] 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.[21]
Below is a list of awards won by Miller:[22]
- 1964 — Grammy Award: Best Country Song: "Dang Me"
- 1964 — Grammy Award: Best New Country and Western Artist
- 1964 — Grammy Award: Best Country and Western Recording, Single: "Dang Me"
- 1964 — Grammy Award: Best Country and Western Performance, Male: "Dang Me"
- 1964 — Grammy Award: Best Country and Western Album: "Dang Me"/"Chug-a-Lug"
- 1965—Jukebox Artist of the Year
- 1965 — Grammy Award: Best Country Song: "King of the Road"
- 1965 — Grammy Award: Best Country Vocal Performance, Male: "King of the Road"
- 1965 — Grammy Award: Best Country and Western Recording, Single: "King of the Road"
- 1965 — Grammy Award: Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male: "King of the Road"
- 1965 — Grammy Award: Best Contemporary (Rock 'N Roll), Single: "King of the Road"
- 1965 — Grammy Award: Best Country and Western Album: "The Return of Roger Miller"
- 1965—Academy of Country and Western Music: "Best Songwriter"
- 1965—Academy of Country and Western Music: "Man of the Year"
- 1973 — Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
- 1985 — Tony Award for Best Score and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics for Big River
- 1988—Academy of Country Music: Pioneer Award
- 1995 — Country Music Hall of Fame
- 1997 — Grammy Hall of Fame Song : "Dang Me"
- 1998 — Grammy Hall of Fame Song : "King Of The Road"
- 2003 — CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music: Ranked #23.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Roger Miller "Biography". rogermiller.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ a b c d e Landon, Grelun; Stambler, Irwin; Stambler, Lyndon (2000), "Roger Miller", The Encyclopedia of Country Music, Macmillan
- ^ a b "High School Papers". rogermiller.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "Roger Miller Biography". CMT. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "Roger Miller". Imdb. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ a b Cooper, Daniel. "The Roger Miller Story". Country Music Hall of Fame.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help); Text "http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/roger-miller" ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e f "Roger Miller > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (October 27, 1992). "Roger Miller, Quirky Country Singer and Songwriter, Is Dead at 56". New York Times.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "If There Was a Way". Allmusic. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "If There Was a Way > Chart & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "Hats Off to Minnie Pearl: America Honors Minnie Pearl". InBaseline.[dead link]
- ^ a b "The Unhokey Okie". Time Magazine. May 5, 1965.
- ^ a b Style, Lyle, Ain't Got No Cigarettes, University of Virginia
- ^ a b c "Biography for Roger Miller". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ a b c Van Ostrand, Maggie (October 26, 2006). "Thirty or More Things You Should Know About Roger Miller". texasescapes.com.
- ^ a b "Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association 2009 Hall of Fame Inductee..." Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "Roger Miller Music, Inc., and Mary A. Miller v. Sont/ATV Publishing, LLC" (PDF). United States Court of Appeals. February 13, 2007.
- ^ "Roger Miller's Widow Wins – Court Victory Equals $900,000 in Royalties". National Ledger. March 23, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
- ^ "Roger Miller > Discography > Main Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ Flippo, Chet (June 3, 2004). "Nashville Skyline: Roger Miller Gets a Museum". CMT.
- ^ "Roger Miller". Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
Bibliography
- Cooper, Daniel. (1998). "Roger Miller." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 347–8.
External links
- Roger Miller official site
- Every Song Written and Released by Roger Miller
- Episode of Quincy ME starring Roger Miller
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Roger Miller at the Internet Broadway Database
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum[dead link]
- Roger Miller Museum in Erick, Oklahoma