From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Wed Jan 2, 2002  1:16 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Roger Miller
 
ROGER MILLER

Born Roger Dean Miller, 2 January 1936, Fort Worth, Texas
Died 25 October 1992, Los Angeles, California

Country/pop singer / humorist / composer.
Miller was raised in Erick, Oklahoma, a town so small "that the city limit
signs are back to back". He learned guitar, banjo and fiddle. Joined the US
Army and served in Korea, then moved to Nashville in the mid-50's, where he
began a songwriting career. His first success came with "Invitation To The
Blues", a # 3 country hit for Ray Price in 1958. Miller recorded for Starday,
1958-1960, and had country hits on RCA 1960-1963. Then he signed with
Smash (a Mercury subsidiary) and hit big with charming, humorous songs,
his three biggest pop hits being "King Of The Road" (# 4), "Dang Me" (# 7)
and "Engine, Engine # 9" (# 7). He collected eleven Grammys 1964-1965,
a record that will probably never be broken. Had his own TV show in 1966.
Country hits continued until well into the seventies. He never equalled his
mid-60s success, but pleased fans with albums on Mercury, Columbia and
RCA. Wrote a musical "Big River" (1985), based on Mark Twain, which won
ten Tony awards. Miller's songs are still being revived. His son Dean Miller
is a succesful songwriter. Roger Miller died of lung cancer at the age of 56.

Website: http://www.rogermiller.com/
CD recommendation: King Of The Road : The Genius Of Roger Miller
(3 CD-set, released in 1995).