Roger Dean Miller (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his mid-1960s country/pop hits such as "King of the Road", "Dang Me," and "England Swings. Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a " King of the Road " is a 1965 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller. " He also wrote the music and lyrics for the Tony-award winning Broadway musical Big River (1985). Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Big River The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.
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Life and work
Roger Miller, the youngest of three boys, was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Laudene Holt Miller (mother) and father Jean Miller. Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas and the seventeenth-largest city in the United States. Jean died when Roger was only a year old, and he was subsequently sent to live with his aunt and uncle, Elmer and Armelia Miller, in Erick, Oklahoma. Erick is a city in Beckham County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1023 at the 2000 census.
Miller had a lonely and unhappy childhood. Heavily influenced by the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights and the Light Crust Doughboys on Fort Worth radio, he desperately wanted to be a singer-songwriter. The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly Country music radio program and concert broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee The Light Crust Doughboys were a Texas western swing band formed in 1931 by Bob Wills, Milton Brown and W Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas and the seventeenth-largest city in the United States. Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics When he was seventeen, he stole a guitar, but turned himself in and chose to join the Army rather than go to jail. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. He later quipped, "My education was Korea, Clash of '52. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. " Upon leaving the Army, he went to Nashville to work on his music career. In 1959 he wrote his first number-one song, "Billy Bayou" recorded by Jim Reeves. James Travis "Jim" Reeves ( August 20 1923 &ndash July 31 1964) was an American country and Pop singer
Although usually grouped with country music singers, Miller's unique style defies easy classification. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. He had a string of pop hits in the 1960s, and also his own TV show in 1966. Many of his recordings were humorous novelty songs with whimsical lyrics, coupled with scat singing or vocalese riffs filled with nonsense syllables. A novelty song is a silly or nonsensical Song, performed principally for its comical effect. In Vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with random vocables and syllables or without words at all Vocalese is a style or genre of Jazz Singing wherein Lyrics are written for melodies that were originally part of an all-instrumental Others were sincere ballads, which also caught the public's fancy, none more so than his signature song, "King of the Road", a major 1965 hit, about a presumed hobo who relishes his life and freedom, riding the rails. " King of the Road " is a 1965 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller. Hobo is a term that refers to a Subculture of wandering Homeless people particularly those who make a habit of hopping freight trains.
Miller wrote and performed three songs in the 1973 animated Robin Hood film as the rooster/minstrel Alan-a-Dale. Robin Hood is an Animated film produced by the Walt Disney Studios, first released in the United States on November 8, 1973 Alan-a-Dale (also spelled Allen-a-Dale, Allan-a-Dale, Allin-a-Dale, etc (One of these songs was later sampled and sped up to form the basis of the Hampster Dance. The Hampster Dance or Hampsterdance is one of the earliest examples of an Internet meme, originally a simple Geocities page featuring rows ) In the 1970s, Miller appeared in ads for Monroe shock absorbers, backed by a re-recording of "King of the Road". A shock absorber in common parlance (or damper in technical use is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or dampen shock impulse and dissipate
Miller was married to Mary Arnold, who herself was a musician, a member of Kenny Rogers' backing band, Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. Kenneth Ray "Kenny" Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston Texas) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter The First Edition (later known as Kenny Rogers and The First Edition) was a Rock band, stalwart members being Kenny Rogers ( vocals & Band leader Kenny Rogers introduced the two. Arnold now manages Miller's estate.
His eldest son, Dean Miller, is a singer-songwriter in his own right. Dean Miller (born Roger Dean Miller Jr, April 7 1966 in Los Angeles California) is an American Country music artist Roger's Christmas song "Old Toy Trains" was written about his son who was only 2 years old when the song came out in 1967.
Miller provided the voice of Speiltoe, the equine narrator of the Rankin/Bass holiday special Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977). Rankin/Bass Productions Inc (formerly Videocraft International Ltd Nestor The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey is a Christmas Television special produced in Stop motion Animation by Rankin-Bass
A lifelong cigarette smoker, Miller died of lung and throat cancer in 1992. A cigarette ( French "small Cigar " from cigar + -ette) is a product consumed through Smoking and manufactured Lung cancer is a Disease of uncontrolled Cell growth in tissues of the Lung. Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the Esophagus. There are various subtypes In a TV interview, he 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!" One of his songs, "A Man Can't Quit", centered on the subject of addiction to cigarettes.
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. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented Big River The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.
He was voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995. The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation Inc The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is located at 222 Fifth Avenue South in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. In Erick, Oklahoma where he grew up, a thoroughfare was renamed "Roger Miller Boulevard. "
A high-pitched sample of his song "Whistle Stop" was used as the musical accompaniment for the internet phenomenon the Hampsterdance. In Music, sampling is the act of taking a portion or sample, of one Sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording The Hampster Dance or Hampsterdance is one of the earliest examples of an Internet meme, originally a simple Geocities page featuring rows
The chorus of one of his songs, "England Swings", was used for the 1998 BBC radio program, 15 Minutes of Misery. The song was also featured in the 2003 movie Shanghai Knights. Shanghai Knights is a 2003 action - Comedy film. It is the sequel to Shanghai Noon.
In his 1997 autobiography Johnny Cash compared Miller's bass vocal range favorably with his own, saying it was the closest to his own that he had heard. Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter.
Miller ranked #23 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men in Country Music in 2003. Country Music Television, or CMT as it is usually called is an American Country music -oriented Cable television network
In early 2006, Roger Miller's 1967 single "Walkin' In The Sunshine" was featured in a Mastercard commercial. MasterCard Worldwide ( is a multinational corporation based in Purchase, New York, USA.
In the 2007 film Into The Wild, "King Of The Road" can be heard, and is also mentioned in a letter from the main character. For the 2007 film adaption of the book see Into the Wild (film For the Warriors book see Into the Wild (Warriors Into
Discography
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Country | UK Singles | ||
| 1960 | "You Don't Want My Love" | - | 14 | - |
| 1961 | "When Two Worlds Collide" | - | 6 | - |
| 1963 | "Lock, Stock, and Teardrops" | - | 26 | - |
| 1964 | "Dang Me" | 7 | 1 | - |
| 1964 | "Chug-a-Lug" | 9 | 3 | - |
| 1965 | "Do-Wacka-Do" | 31 | 15 | - |
| 1965 | "King of the Road" | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1965 | "Engine Engine No. Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry Events January 14 - Elvis Presley is promoted to Sergeant in the U Events January 15 - Motown Records signs The Supremes January 20 - Francis Poulenc 's Gloria Events January 1 - The Beatles start a 5 day tour in Scotland to support the release of their new single "Love Me Do" Events January 1 - Top of the Pops premieres on BBC television Events January 1 - Top of the Pops premieres on BBC television See also Events January 4 - Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million "Do-Wacka-Do" is a song released in 1965 by American Country music artist Roger Miller. See also Events January 4 - Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million " King of the Road " is a 1965 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller. See also Events January 4 - Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million 9" | 7 | 2 | 33 |
| 1965 | "One Dyin' and A-Buryin'" | 34 | 10 | - |
| 1965 | "Kansas City Star" | 31 | 7 | 48 |
| 1966 | "England Swings" | 8 | 3 | 13 |
| 1966 | "Husbands and Wives" | 26 | 5 | - |
| 1966 | "I've Been a Long Time Leavin'" | - | 13 | - |
| 1966 | "You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd" | 40 | 35 | - |
| 1966 | "My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died" | 58 | 39 | - |
| 1966 | "Heartbreak Hotel" | 84 | 55 | - |
| 1967 | "Walkin' in the Sunshine" | 37 | 7 | - |
| 1967 | "The Ballad of Waterhole 3" | - | 27 | - |
| 1967 | "Old Toy Trains" | 13 | - | - |
| 1968 | "Little Green Apples" | 39 | 6 | 19 |
| 1968 | "Vance" | 80 | 15 | - |
| 1969 | "Me and Bobby McGee" | - | 12 | - |
| 1969 | "Where Have All the Average People Gone?" | - | 14 | - |
| 1970 | "Don't We All Have the Right" | - | 15 | - |
| 1971 | "Tomorrow Night in Baltimore" | - | 11 | - |
| 1971 | "Loving Her Was Easier" | - | 28 | - |
| 1973 | "Hoppy's Gone" | - | 42 | - |
| 1973 | "Open Up Your Heart" | - | 14 | - |
| 1974 | "I Believe In The Sunshine" | - | 24 | - |
| 1974 | "Whistle Stop" | - | 86 | - |
| 1977 | "Baby Me Baby" | - | 68 | - |
| 1981 | "Everyone Gets Crazy Now And Then" | - | 36 | - |
| 1982 | "Old Friends" (with Willie Nelson and Ray Price) | - | 19 | - |
| 1985 | "River in the Rain" | - | 36 | - |
Awards
- 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"
- 1985 — Tony Award : Best Score: "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. See also Events January 4 - Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million See also Events January 4 - Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million The Kansas City Star is a McClatchy Newspaper based in Kansas City Missouri, in the United States. Events January 3 - Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Events January 3 - Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Events January 3 - Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Events January 3 - Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Events January 3 - Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Events January 3 - Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It " Heartbreak Hotel " is a Rock and roll song performed by Elvis Presley, with Bill Black ( bass) Scotty Moore ( The year 1967 was an important year for Psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles ( Sgt The year 1967 was an important year for Psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles ( Sgt The year 1967 was an important year for Psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles ( Sgt Events January 4 - Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with Events January 4 - Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with Events Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts " Me and Bobby McGee " is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller, but best remembered for Events Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts Events Charles Wuorinen, aged 32 becomes the youngest composer ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Events February 5 - Eric Burdon & War disbanding They never performed togeather again until April 21 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall Events February 5 - Eric Burdon & War disbanding They never performed togeather again until April 21 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall Events January-February January 9 - Mick Jagger 's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug bust putting an abrupt end Events January-February January 9 - Mick Jagger 's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug bust putting an abrupt end Events January - The Ramones form January - Joni Mitchell releases her monumental album Court and Spark, supported Events January - The Ramones form January - Joni Mitchell releases her monumental album Court and Spark, supported Events Bohemian Rhapsody is named 'The Best Single Of The Last 25 Years' by BPI. See also Musical groups established in 1981 Record labels established in 1981 List of 'years in music' See also 1982 in music (UK Musical groups established in 1982 Record labels established in 1982 Willie Nelson (born April 30, 1933) is an American country Singer-songwriter and Actor. Ray Price may refer to Ray Price (musician, an American country and western singer Ray Price (cricketer, a Zimbabwean cricketer Events January January 28 - Various artists, under the group name USA For Africa, including Ray Charles The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is located at 222 Fifth Avenue South in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. See also Grammy Grammy Hall of Fame Award List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients E-I List of Grammy Hall See also Grammy Grammy Hall of Fame Award List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients A-D List of Grammy Hall Country Music Television, or CMT as it is usually called is an American Country music -oriented Cable television network The 40 Greatest Men of Country Music is a three hour television special that first aired on March 28 2003 on CMT.
References
- 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
- Roger Miller at the Internet Movie Database
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