Comments on: 100 Greatest Men: #43. Roger Miller

By: Frank de Boer

Frank de Boer — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:39:22 +0000

He’s one of my biggest inspirations. I don’t think it is right to say he was ever a strictly hardcore country singer, though.

He went from being a fiddler to writing songs that I would call diverse, if nothing else. His early work is predominantly country, but by no means exclusively so. I believe I read somewhere that that’s part of the reason Atkins wasn’t too fond of him at first.

I’ve read quite a bit and wrote a little about him and his relevance in Europe here:

http://www.frankensongs.com/blog/index.php/the-rooster-that-beat-the-beatles/

By: Michael A.

Michael A. — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:01:57 +0000

Paul, here’s a quote from a radio personality in an article from the Star Tribune celebrating 30 years of WEFest:

In 1991, Roger Miller was a showstopper. I can’t remember who he followed but it was a big, big act, with lots of guitars, drums and the whole thing. And all of a sudden, Roger Miller, all by himself, walks out with his guitar, sits down on a stool and everybody thinks this is going to be a downer. And then he mesmerizes the crowd for the next 90 minutes.

By: Erik North

Erik North — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 03:22:07 +0000

If all he ever did had been “Dang Me”, “Chug-A-Lug” and “King Of The Road”, I think Roger Miller would still have been a legend. Thankfully for us, those are the mere tip of the iceberg. He was such a good-time performer whom I feel we lost a bit too soon.

By: PAul W Dennis

PAul W Dennis — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 03:03:50 +0000

Roger Miller was one of the few few singers who needed only a guitar in order to keep an audience spell bound for hours. Truthfully, he probably didn’t even need the guitar !

His music was at least a decade ahead of its time, and he was really profient at unearthing good material from other writers, as well has writting a musical canon that remains unique to this day.

By: J.R. Journey

J.R. Journey — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 02:28:28 +0000

Miller famously wrote “Dang Me’ under a kudzu tree after leaping from Johnny Cash’s car and returning 10 minutes later. I’ve always been a bigger fan of his comedic songs than his serious side, and I still contend “Engine Engine #9″ contains one of the more brilliant rhyme schemes of all time.

By: Ben Foster

Ben Foster — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:33:10 +0000

I enjoy his music. His songs always have such a nice laid-back charm about them.

By: bob

bob — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:59:52 +0000

Interesting write-up. I didn’t know that Miller’s brother-in-law was Sheb Wooley who was famous for the Purple People Eater song.

King of the Road and Husbands and Wives are my favorites of your essential singles. Other favs include Engine Engine #9 and Walkin’ in the Sunshine.