- Emmett Miller
Emmett Miller (1900 - 1962) was an American
minstrel show performer and recording artist known for hisfalsetto , yodel-like voice. Little-known today, Miller was a major influence on many country music singers, includingHank Williams ,Jimmie Rodgers ,Milton Brown ,Tommy Duncan andMerle Haggard .Miller was born
February 2 ,1900 inMacon, Georgia . Though his early life is largely undocumented, it is generally acknowledged that he was performing in minstrel shows by his early twenties [http://www.takecountryback.com/features/blues2.htm. AccessedNovember 1 ,2007 .] . In 1924, his first recordings appeared on theOkeh label. His backup group - The Georgia Crackers - included noted jazz musiciansTommy Dorsey ,Jimmy Dorsey ,Gene Krupa , andEddie Lang . He continued to perform in minstrel shows well into his fifties, long after they fell out of fashion. Finally returning to Macon, he died there in 1962 and was buried in Fort Hill Cemetery [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7989649. AccessedNovember 1 ,2007 .] .Miller's influence on early country is most apparent in
Hank Williams ' "Lovesick Blues ," andBob Wills ' recording of "I Ain't Got Nobody," which closely resemble Miller's versions.Merle Haggard ,Leon Redbone ,Louis Prima ,Van Halen and Van Halen's frontmanDavid Lee Roth have all recorded Emmett Miller songs.External links
* [http://www.music.us/biography/artist/24833/emmett_miller.html Biography of Emmett Miller]
* [http://redhotjazz.com/georgiacrackers.html Profile on Red Hot Jazz] (includes numerous audio files)
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:faogtq3ztu48~T1 Emmett Miller entry on All Music Guide]Further reading
*Tosches, Nick (1979)."Country:The Biggest Music In America", Dell Publishing Co.
*Tosches, Nick (2002)."Where Dead Voices Gather", Back Bay Books.References
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