From:   "Shaun Mather" 
Date:  Mon May 5, 2003  11:40 am
Subject:  BTBWY - Jay D. Miller
 
JAY D. MILLER

Born - 5 May 1922, El Campo, Texas
Died - 23 March 1996, Lafayette, Louisiana

Jay D.Miller was one of those behind the scenes characters who dabbled at
all aspects of the music scene who became one of the most important figures
in the musical history of Louisiana. He was as producer, label owner,
songwriter, musician, radio presenter and record shop owner among other
things. As a songwriter he wrote over 400 songs (he was on the books of
Acuff-Rose), the most famous being It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk ANgels
which became a big hit for Kitty Wells. But it was his studio activities for
which he was best known.

He started his career playing guitar and banjo in local cajun and hillbilly
bands. In Crowley, LA, he opened his own record shop and built his own
studio which at the time was only the second in the state. He created his
own FAis Do Do and Feature labels as an avenue to release his recordings
(latyer labels he owned include Rocko, Zinn and Kajun). He became a home for
the distinct Louisiana blues artists like Lightnin' Slim, Slim Harpo,
Lonesome Sundown and Lazy Lester and it is probably this body of work that
deserves it's place up there with the Chess and Sun blues catalogues. What
do you think?

Other artists he worked with form an A-Z of Lousiana talent, like Nathan
Abshire, Clifton Chenier, Jimmy C.Newman, Rusty and Doug KJershaw and Katie
Webster. A taste of his rock 'n' roll artists included Al Ferrier, Rocket
Morgan, Johnny Jano, Bobby Charles and Roy Perkins (whose CD I'm listening
to as I type this).

I remember listening to a Radio 1 series when I was a kid which featured
hour long programmes on Floyd Soileau and Jay D. Miller, and he came over as
a very likeable, down to earth chap.