Jody Miller
Although she became famous for "Queen of the House," her response to Roger Miller's "King of the Road," Jody Miller pioneered a fusion of folk, country, and pop that set the stage for the folky country-pop of the 1970s. Raised in Oklahoma, she was born Myrna Joy Miller and, inspired by the music of Joan Baez, learned to play guitar at the age of 14. Soon after, Miller joined a folk trio and began performing at a local coffeehouse. Lou Gottlieb, a member of folk group the Limelighters, heard her sing and was impressed enough to offer to help her get a recording contract, provided she move to Los Angeles. Miller initially declined, as she had recently married, but eventually she and her husband went to California to test the waters. A friend of the family arranged an audition with Capitol Records, which signed Miller while suggesting that she change her name from Myrna to the folkier "Jody."
In 1963, Miller recorded her debut album, Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe, which did fairly well and led to appearances on Tom Paxton's folk music television show. In 1964, she had a minor pop hit with "He Walks Like a Man" but her breakthrough arrived in 1965, when "Queen of the House" reached number five on the country charts and number 12 on the pop charts. Despite her success on the country charts, Miller continued to have more hits as a pop act; "Silver Threads and Golden Needles," her follow-up to "Queen of the House," was a minor hit in the summer of 1965, as was the protest song "Home of the Brave." During the latter half of the '60s, she released a handful of albums and singles, none of which gained much attention.
At the end of the '60s, Miller left the West Coast and returned to her Oklahoma ranch to spend more time with her family. After a few years of semi-retirement, she began recording with Billy Sherrill in Nashville in late 1970; the result, Look at Mine, was released in 1971 and featured a mixture of country-pop songs and a few traditional tunes. The album produced her first string of country hits, as "He's So Fine" and "Baby I'm Yours" reached the Top Ten, and several other songs from the record reached the Top 40. Throughout 1972 and 1973, Miller hit the Top Ten with regularity. However, her comeback ended as quickly as it began -- as of 1974, she no longer was able to crack the Top 40, although she did have a string of minor hits. She managed to bounce back into the Top 40 in 1977 with "Darling, You Can Always Come Back Home," but by and large, her career had stalled. In 1979, her contract with Epic expired and she chose to retire to her ranch with her family.
Miller returned in 1987 with the independently released My Country, which consisted entirely of patriotic songs; it caught the attention of President-elect George H.W. Bush, who invited her to perform at his 1988 inaugural ball. Afterward, Miller's now-grown daughter Robin encouraged her to return to country music and the two formed a duo. In 1990, they tried to secure a record contract in Nashville, but were unsuccessful. Miller re-emerged as a gospel singer in the late '90s with such independently released albums as I'll Praise the Lamb (1997) and Higher (1999). Jody Miller died in Blanchard, Oklahoma, on October 6, 2022, after several years of living with Parkinson's disease. She was 80 years of age.
© Sandra Brennan /TiVo
Artistas semelhantes
Discografia
18 álbum(ns) • Ordenado por Mais vendidos
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The Nashville Sound Of Jody Miller
Country - Lançado por EMI Music Nashville (ERN) em 04/02/1968
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Wednesday's Child Is Full Of Woe
Country - Lançado por EMI Music Nashville (ERN) em 01/01/1963
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Complete Epic Hits
Country - Lançado por Legacy Recordings em 24/01/2012
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Queen Of The House
Country - Lançado por EMI Music Nashville (ERN) em 01/01/1965
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There's A Party Goin' On
Country - Lançado por Columbia - Legacy em 26/07/1972
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Home Of The Brave
Country - Lançado por EMI Music Nashville (ERN) em 01/01/1965
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Sings The Great Hits Of Buck Owens
Country - Lançado por EMI Music Nashville (ERN) em 01/01/1966
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The Best Of Jody Miller
Country - Lançado por EMI Music Nashville (ERN) em 01/01/1998
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House Of The Rising Sun
Country - Lançado por Legacy Recordings em 04/01/1974
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wayfaring Stranger-the Final Recordings
Country - Lançado por Heart of Texas Records em 05/01/2023
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The Very Best of Jody Miller
Country - Lançado por Classic Music International em 15/03/2011
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Way of Life
Miscellaneous - Lançado por Jahboot Music Talent em 18/08/2017
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Where My Picture Hangs on the Wall
Jody Miller, Three Generations
Folk - Lançado por JMM em 04/05/2018
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo