INFLUENCED
INFLUENCED: Brad Paisley and Roger Miller
Before superstar Brad Paisley infused humor and wit into country songs, there was singer-songwriter and part-time humorist Roger Miller, a talent who heavily influenced Brad. Brad told Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer, “I had a couple of guys that were everything I wanted to be in many ways… One of them was Roger Miller.” He shared further with Guitar Player magazine that Roger is his biggest inspiration when it came to humor, calling him “awesome – tongue-in-cheek and super creative.” And, anyone who is familiar with the Roger’s songwriting can see shades of the legend in some of Brad’s biggest hits including “Ticks” and “I’m Gonna Miss Her,” just to name a few. Although Roger was and continues to be well-loved for his wittiness and ability to come up with a clever turn-of-phrase, there was a serious side to the singer as well found in his songs like “Husbands and Wives.”
Before Roger made his name known to the country community, he suffered through a difficult childhood. He was born on January 2, 1936 in Fort Worth, Texas, but when Roger was only a year old, his father Jean died from spinal meningitis. With Roger’s mother Laudene unable to care for her three young sons in the midst of the Great Depression, the Miller brothers were split up to live with their three uncles with Roger landing in Erick, Oklahoma on his Uncle Elmer’s cotton farm. Boredom and loneliness from being separated from his family kicked started young Roger’s songwriting talent who was often caught daydreaming. While in Erick, Roger made fast friends with his cousin’s husband Sheb Wooley, who hit it big the novelty song “The Purple People Eater” and co-starred in Rawhide. Sheb would spend time with Roger teaching him how to play the guitar and listening to the radio where Roger grew to love the music of Bob Willis and Hank Williams. Soon, Roger, who was eager to get out of town, started running away from home and in a desperate attempt to get his own guitar, he stole one, but a guilty conscious weighed on his mind and he turned himself in the next day. Roger found himself faced with a choice to spend time in jail or to join the army to pay for his crime and he choose the army. While serving his country, he was sent Korea, then to Atlanta’s Fort McPherson where he played fiddle in the Circle A Wranglers and met songwriter and life-long friend Bill Anderson.
After leaving the military, Roger headed straight to Nashville and went to see the legendary Chet Atkins who thought Roger's talent still need culitvating before hitting the big time. Roger soon was hired as a fiddle player in comedienne Minnie Pearl’s band and then scored a big break when he met George Jones who was impressed by Roger’s talent as a tunesmith. It lead to his first record deal and the writing of some future big hits like “Tall, Tall Trees,” a song which Jones recorded but was made into a number one hit by Alan Jackson almost 40 years later. However, Roger was frustrated with the music business and moved to Amarillo, Texas for a brief period with his wife and son, but another break came his way when he met country crooner Ray Price. Ray hired Roger in 1958 to join his Cherokee Cowboys band, a good move for both artists as Roger persuaded Ray to record a song that Roger penned. “Invitation to the Blues” ending up peaking at number three on the charts. Soon Roger was seeing his songs recorded by the big stars of the day – Ernest Tubb, Faron Young and Jim Reeves, among others – and those recordings turned into big hits.
Although he was having major success as one of the most sought-after songwriters in town, Roger wanted be a recording artist himself. While he recorded for both Starday and eventually Decca, none of his own singles caught fire with audiences. When he landed at RCA Records in the 1960s, he finally achieved his own Top 10 hit with “When Two Worlds Collide,” but that victory was short-lived as the rest of his single releases struggled to chart. As his recording contract was nearing its end, Roger once again toyed with the idea of leaving the music business behind, this time for acting, but an offshoot of Mercury Records called Smash decided that they would give him a shot. It proved to be the perfect match as Roger scored a number one hit and a Grammy-winner with “Dang Me” right out of the gate in 1963. That chart-topper was soon followed by the humorous hits “Chug-A-Lug” and “Do-Wacka-Do” and then, a million-seller with the number one smash “King of the Road,” which also nabbed multiple Grammy Awards. Roger had found his rhythm with his quirky takes on life with a serious number thrown in for good measure every now and again. He scored hit after hit with songs like “Engine Engine #9,” “Kansas City Star” and “Husbands and Wives” throughout the 1960s. But, by 1968, the brakes were put on Roger’s self-penned hit-parade and he began hitting up other Nashville writers for material stretching his radio success to the early 1970s as he recorded Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again).”
In 1974, Roger ventured into the movie business when he wrote songs for Disney’s animated film Robin Hood where he also voiced the role of Alan-a-Dale. Then, impressively, he shared his unique gifts with Broadway as he wrote the score to Big River which premiered on April 25, 1985. The musical earned Roger a Tony Award and even featured the singer-songwriter in the role of Pap for a few months. Throughout the late 1980s and early ‘90s, Roger remained actively involved in the music industry even embarking a solo acoustic tour that left audiences amazed with his talent and laughing long after they left the show. But, in 1991, Roger retired from the road when he discovered he had lung cancer. The following year on October 25, 1992, Roger lost his battle with cancer. Three years later, he was honored posthumously with an induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. To find out more about Roger Miller, check out his official website.
Image courtesy of GAB Archive / Redferns
Adapted from "Roger Miller." Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Country Music Foundation, Inc., n.d. Tues. 06 Jul 2010. <http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/roger-miller>.
Nikita Palmer for Citadel Digital © 2010
