Big Miller

Clarence Horatio[1] "Big" Miller (December 18, 1922 in Sioux City, Iowa – June 9, 1992 in Edmonton, Alberta) was an American jazz and blues singer and bassist, chiefly associated with the Kansas City blues style.

Biography

Miller spent his younger years in Sioux City and Topeka, Kansas, and studied the trombone initially before switching to the bass. His proximity to Kansas City influenced his style and his first full-time professional job was with the Jay McShann orchestra. It was during this time that his vocal talents began to be recognized. He won fame as a "blues shouter", a musician whose vocal force was powerful enough that it could be heard in an auditorium with a big band behind it even without using a microphone. He also occasionally performed on trombone. He recorded for Savoy Records early in his career, including with The Five Pennies as backing musicians. His jazz activities also included work with Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

As a vocalist, Miller first rose to national prominence at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival where he appeared with a group led by trombonist Bob Brookmeyer. This led to a New York session with Brookmeyer's ensemble that was released on a well-reviewed LP, The Kansas City Sound, which has since been re-released on CD.[2] After performing with John Hendricks's revue, The Evolution of the Blues, Miller signed with Columbia Records and released several full-length albums.[3] He had a short side career as an actor, appearing in Big Meat Eater (1982), A Name for Evil (1973), and a cameo in the comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

In the 1970s Miller toured with Big Joe Turner, then moved to Canada, settling in Edmonton, Alberta.[3] He became a Canadian citizen and lived there for the rest of his life, working with local musician Tommy Banks and covering "Big Yellow Taxi" with the song's author, Albertan Joni Mitchell. He was the subject of a documentary released by the National Film Board of Canada in 1987. Miller played a major role in the growth of the Edmonton Jazz Society, which began in the late 1970s, and taught at the Banff Centre for Fine Arts.[3]

Legacy

Tributes to Miller include a piano solo piece by Jay McShann entitled "Big Miller's Blues", and a track by the Canadian band Shuffle Demons called "Never Be the Same: Big Miller Blues".[3]

Discography

With Bob Brookmeyer

References

  1. ↑ Some sources, such as AllMusic and Leonard Feather's 1959 Encyclopedia of Jazz, list Miller's middle name as "Horatius".
  2. ↑ "Kansas City Sound", Blue Sounds.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Eugene Chadbourne, Big Miller at Allmusic.

External links

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