Editing Roger Miller

{{Short description|American country musician (1936–1992)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name                = Roger Miller
| image               = Roger Miller 1975.jpg
| caption             = Miller in 1975
| birth_name          = Roger Dean Miller
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1936|01|02}}
| birth_place         = [[Fort Worth, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|1992|10|25|1936|01|02}}
| death_place         = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| other_names         = Roger Miller Sr.<br />Roger D. Miller Sr.<br />The Wild Child
| occupation          = Singer, songwriter, musician, actor
| years_active        = 1957–1992
| spouse              = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Barbara Crow|1953|1964|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Leah Kendrick|1964|1976|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Mary Arnold (singer)|Mary Arnold]]|1977}}
}}
| children            = 8, including [[Dean Miller|Dean]]
| website             = {{URL|rogermiller.com}}
| module              = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| origin              = 
| genre               = [[Country music|Country]], [[Novelty song|novelty]], [[Comedy music|comedy]]
| instrument          = Vocals, guitar, [[fiddle]], drums
| label               =
| associated_acts     = [[Bill Anderson (singer)|Bill Anderson]], [[Mary Arnold (singer)|Mary Arnold]], [[George Jones]], [[Dean Miller]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[Johnny Paycheck]], [[Minnie Pearl]], [[Ray Price (musician)|Ray Price]], [[Jim Reeves]], [[Sheb Wooley]], [[Dwight Yoakam]], [[Larry Gatlin]], [[Faron Young]], [[Thumbs Carllile]], [[John Denver]], [[Mel Tillis]], [[Glen Campbell]], and [[Dean Martin]]}}
}}
'''Roger Dean Miller Sr.''' (January 2, 1936&nbsp;– October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his [[honky-tonk]]-influenced [[novelty song]]s and his chart-topping [[Country music|country]] hits "[[King of the Road (song)|King of the Road]]", "[[Dang Me]]", and "[[England Swings]]".

After growing up in [[Oklahoma]] and serving in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], Miller began his musical career as a songwriter in the late 1950s, writing such hits as "[[Billy Bayou]]" and "Home" for [[Jim Reeves]] and "Invitation to the Blues" for [[Ray Price (musician)|Ray Price]]. He later began a recording career and reached the peak of his fame in the mid-1960s, continuing to record and tour into the 1990s, charting his final top-20 country hit "[[Old Friends (Willie Nelson album)|Old Friends]]" with Price and [[Willie Nelson]] in 1982. He also wrote and performed several of the songs for the 1973 Disney animated film ''[[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Robin Hood]]''. Later in his life, he wrote the music and lyrics for the 1985 [[Tony Award]]−winning Broadway musical ''[[Big River (musical)|Big River]]'', in which he played Pap Finn in 1986.

Miller died from lung cancer in 1992, and was inducted into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] three years later. He was also inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His songs continued to be recorded by other singers, with covers of "[[Tall, Tall Trees]]" by [[Alan Jackson]] and "[[Husbands and Wives (song)|Husbands and Wives]]" by [[Brooks and Dunn]]; both reached the number-one spot on country charts in the 1990s. The [[Roger Miller Museum]] — now closed — in his home town of [[Erick, Oklahoma]], was a tribute to Miller.

== Early life ==
Roger Miller was born in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], the third son of Jean and Laudene (Holt) Miller. Jean Miller died from spinal meningitis when Miller was a year old. Unable to support the family during the [[Great Depression]],<ref name="bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.rogermiller.com/bio1.html |title=Biography |publisher=rogermiller.com |access-date=July 11, 2010 }}</ref> Laudene sent her three sons to live with three of Jean's brothers. Thus, Miller grew up on a farm outside [[Erick, Oklahoma]], with Elmer and Armelia Miller.<ref name="enc">{{citation |last1=Landon |first1=Grelun |first2=Irwin |first3=Lyndon |last2=Stambler |last3=Stambler |title=Roger Miller |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Country Music |publisher=Macmillan|pages=311–314|year=2000}}</ref>

As a boy, Miller did farm work, such as picking [[cotton]] and plowing. He later said he was "dirt poor" and that as late as 1951, the family did not own a telephone.<ref name="high">{{cite web |url=http://www.rogermiller.com/SchoolPaper.html |title=High School Papers |publisher=rogermiller.com |access-date=July 11, 2010 }}</ref> He received his primary education at a one-room schoolhouse. Miller was an introverted child who often daydreamed or composed songs. One of his earliest compositions went: "There's a picture on the wall. It's the dearest of them all, Mother."<ref name="bio" />

Miller was a member of the [[National FFA Organization|FFA]] in high school.<ref name="high" /> He listened to the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' and [[Light Crust Doughboys]] on a Fort Worth station with his cousin's husband, [[Sheb Wooley]]. Wooley taught Miller his first guitar chords and bought him a fiddle. Wooley, [[Hank Williams]], and [[Bob Wills]] were the influences that led to Miller's desire to be a singer-songwriter. He began to run away and perform in Oklahoma and Texas. At 17, he stole a [[guitar]] out of desperation to write songs, but he turned himself in the next day. He chose to enlist in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] to avoid [[jail]]. He later quipped, "My education was [[Korean War|Korea, Clash of '52]]." Near the end of his military service, while stationed in Atlanta, Georgia, Miller played fiddle in the "Circle A Wranglers", a military musical group started by [[Faron Young]].<ref name="bio" /> While Miller was stationed in [[South Carolina]], an army sergeant whose brother was [[Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns]], from the musical duo [[Homer and Jethro]], persuaded him to head to Nashville after his discharge.<ref name="enc" />

== Career ==
=== Nashville songwriter ===
On leaving the Army, Miller traveled to Nashville to begin his musical career. He met with [[Chet Atkins]], who asked to hear him sing, lending him a guitar, since Miller did not own one. Out of nervousness, Miller played the guitar and sang a song in two different keys. Atkins advised him to come back later, when he had more experience. Miller found work as a bellhop at Nashville's Andrew Jackson Hotel, and he was soon known as the "singing bellhop". He was finally hired by [[Minnie Pearl]] to play the fiddle in her band.<ref name="cmt">{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/miller_roger_country_/bio.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040315095610/http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/miller_roger_country_/bio.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 15, 2004 |title=Roger Miller Biography |publisher=[[Country Music Television|CMT]] |access-date=July 11, 2010}}</ref> He then met [[George Jones]], who introduced him to music executives from the [[Starday Records]] label, who scheduled an audition. Impressed, the executives set up a recording session with Jones in [[Houston]]. Jones and Miller collaborated to write "Tall, Tall Trees" and "Happy Child."<ref name="bio" />

{{quote box| width = 20%| quote=The human mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working before you're even born and doesn't stop again until you sit down to write a song.|source = — Roger Miller<ref>{{cite book|last1=Simpson|first1=Paul|title=The Rough Guide to Cult Pop|date=2003|publisher=Rough Guides Ltd|location=London|isbn=1-84353-229-8|page=218|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F7hpXcrqA-8C&q=roger+miller+human+mind+wonderful&pg=PA2}}</ref>}}
After marrying and becoming a father, Miller put aside his music career to be a fireman in [[Amarillo, Texas]].<ref name="bio" /> A fireman by day, he performed at night. Miller said that as a fireman, he saw only two fires, one in a "chicken coop" and another he "slept through", after which the department "suggested that...[he] seek other employment." Miller met [[Ray Price (musician)|Ray Price]] and became a member of his Cherokee Cowboys. He returned to Nashville and wrote "Invitation to the Blues", which was covered by [[Rex Allen]] and later by Ray Price, whose recording was a number-three hit on country charts.<ref name="hall">{{cite web |last=Cooper |first=Daniel |url=http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/roger-miller |title=The Roger Miller Story |publisher=[[Country Music Hall of Fame]] |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-date=April 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430074233/http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/roger-miller |url-status=dead }}</ref> Miller then signed with [[Tree Publishing]] on a salary of $50 a week. He wrote: "Half a Mind" for [[Ernest Tubb]], "That's the Way I Feel" for Faron Young, and his first number one, "Billy Bayou", which along with "Home" was recorded by [[Jim Reeves]]. Miller became one of the biggest songwriters of the 1950s. [[Bill Anderson (country music)|Bill Anderson]] later remarked, "Roger was the most talented, and least disciplined, person that you could imagine", citing the attempts of Miller's Tree Publishing boss, [[Buddy Killen]] to force him to finish a piece. He was known to give away lines, inciting many Nashville songwriters to follow him around since, according to Killen, "everything he said was a potential song."<ref name="bio" />

=== Recording career ===
Miller signed a recording deal with [[Decca Records]] in 1958. He was paired with singer Donny Lytle, who later gained fame under the name [[Johnny Paycheck]], to perform the Miller-written "A Man Like Me", and later "The Wrong Kind of Girl". Neither of these [[honky-tonk]]-style songs charted. His second single with the label, featuring the B-side "Jason Fleming", foreshadowed Miller's future style. To make money, Miller went on tour with Faron Young's band as a drummer, although he had never drummed. During this period, he signed a record deal with Chet Atkins at [[RCA Victor]], for whom Miller recorded "You Don't Want My Love" (also known as "In the Summertime") in 1960, which marked his first appearance on country charts, peaking at number&nbsp;14. The next year, he made an even bigger impact, breaking through the top 10 with his single "When Two Worlds Collide", cowritten with Bill Anderson.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countryweekly.com/vault/story-behind-song-when-two-worlds-collide|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009195512/http://www.countryweekly.com/vault/story-behind-song-when-two-worlds-collide|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 9, 2014|title=Country Music News – Nash Country Daily|website=Countryweekly.com}}</ref> Miller soon tired of writing songs, divorced his wife, and began a party lifestyle that earned him the moniker "wild child". He was dropped from his record label and began to pursue other interests.<ref name="bio" />

After numerous appearances on late-night comedy shows, Miller decided that he might have a chance in Hollywood as an actor. Short of money, he signed with the up-and-coming label [[Smash Records]], asked the label for $1,600 in cash in exchange for recording 16 sides. Smash agreed to the proposal, and Miller performed his first session for the company early in 1964, when he recorded the hits "Dang Me" and "[[Chug-a-Lug (Roger Miller song)|Chug-a-Lug]]". Both were released as singles, peaking at numbers one and three, respectively, on country charts; both fared well on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] reaching numbers seven and 9.<ref name="all" /> The songs transformed Miller's career, although the former was penned by Miller in just four minutes. Later that year, he recorded the number-15 hit "[[Do-Wacka-Do]]", and soon after, the biggest hit of his career, "[[King of the Road (song)|King of the Road]]", which topped Country and Adult Contemporary charts while peaking at number four on the ''Billboard'' 100. It also reached number one in the [[UK Singles Chart]] for one week in May 1965. The song was inspired by a sign in Chicago that read "Trailers for Sale or Rent" and a [[hobo]] who happened upon Miller at an airport in [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]], but Miller needed months to write the song, which was certified gold in May 1965 after selling a million copies. It won numerous awards and earned a royalty check of $160,000 that summer.<ref name="bio" /> 

Later in 1965, Miller scored hits with "Engine Engine No.&nbsp;9", "Kansas City Star" (a [[Hot Country Songs|Top 10 country hit]] about a local television children's show personality who would rather stay in the safety and security of his success in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] than become a bigger star – or risk failure – in [[Omaha]]), and "[[England Swings]]" (an [[Adult contemporary music|adult contemporary]] number one). He began 1966 with the hit "[[Husbands and Wives (song)|Husbands and Wives]], a mid-tempo waltz reflecting on issues that affect marriages."<ref name="all">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p13680/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} |title=Roger Miller > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=July 11, 2010}}{{dead link|date=October 2019}}</ref>

Miller was given [[The Roger Miller Show|his own TV show on NBC]] in September 1966. It lasted for 13 weeks, and ended its run in January 1967. During this period, Miller recorded songs written by other songwriters. The final hit of his own composition was "Walkin in the Sunshine", which reached number seven on the country and number six on the adult contemporary charts in 1967.<ref name="all" /> Later in the year, he scored his final top-10 hit with the first recording of [[Bobby Russell]]'s "[[Little Green Apples]]".<ref name="bio" /> The next year, he was first to cover [[Kris Kristofferson]]'s "[[Me and Bobby McGee]],"<ref name="hall" /> taking the song to number&nbsp;12 on country charts.<ref name="all" /> In 1970, Miller recorded the album ''A Trip in the Country'', honky-tonk-style standards penned by Miller, including "Tall, Tall Trees". Later that year, after Smash Records folded, Miller was signed by [[Columbia Records]], for whom he released ''Dear Folks: Sorry I Haven't Written Lately'' in 1973. Later that year, Miller wrote and performed three songs in the Walt Disney animated feature ''[[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Robin Hood]]'' as the rooster and minstrel [[Allan-a-Dale]]: "[[Oo-De-Lally]]", "[[Not in Nottingham]]", and "Whistle-Stop" (which was sampled for use in the popular [[Hampster Dance]] web site).<ref name="bio" /> He provided the voice of Speiltoe, the equine narrator of the [[Rankin/Bass]] holiday special ''[[Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey]]'' in 1977. Miller collaborated with Willie Nelson on an album titled ''Old Friends.'' The title track was based on a song he had previously penned for his family in Oklahoma. The song, with guest vocals from Ray Price, was the last hit of Miller's career,<ref name="bio" /> peaking at number&nbsp;19 on country charts in 1982.<ref name="all" />

=== Late career ===
In 1970, Miller opened the King of the Road Inn, a Nashville hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/music/2021/01/15/nashville-then-best-music-photos-50-years-ago-1970/4086866001/|website=The Tennessean|title=Nashville Then: Best 1970 music photos have a little bit of this and that and lot of country|date=January 14, 2021|accessdate=October 30, 2022}}</ref> As [[Brian Carpenter (musician)|Brian Carpenter]] wrote in ''[[Southern Cultures]]'', "With its rooftop lounge and accompanying penthouse suite (complete with a swinging double bed), Miller's King of the Road Inn was, for a time, the unofficial center of Nashville's thriving music scene."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ugLVBQAAQBAJ&dq=%22roger+miller%22+%22king+of+the+road+inn%22+nashville&pg=PA120|page=120|first=Brian|last=Carpenter|title=Dashboard Poet: Roger Miller|issue=Winter 2014|date=November 21, 2014|publisher=UNC Press Books |isbn=9781469615967 |accessdate=October 30, 2022}}</ref> It is now called the Holiday Inn Downtown Nashville-Stadium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.frommers.com/destinations/nashville/hotels/clarion-hotel-downtown-nashville-stadium|website=Frommers|title=Clarion Hotel Downtown Nashville-Stadium|accessdate=October 30, 2022}}</ref>

Miller continued to record for different record labels and charted a few songs, but stopped writing in 1978, feeling that his more "artistic" works were not appreciated.<ref name="enc" /> He was absent from the entertainment business following the release of ''Old Friends'' in 1981, but returned after receiving an offer to write a Broadway score for a musical based upon [[Mark Twain]]'s ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]].'' Although he had not read the novel, Miller accepted the offer after discovering how the story brought him back to his childhood in rural Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/27/arts/roger-miller-quirky-country-singer-and-songwriter-is-dead-at-56.html |title=Roger Miller, Quirky Country Singer and Songwriter, Is Dead at 56 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 27, 1992}}</ref> Miller took a year and a half to write the opening, but he eventually finished it. The work, titled ''[[Big River (musical)|Big River]]'', premiered at the [[Eugene O'Neill Theatre]] in New York City on April 25, 1985. The musical received glowing reviews, earning seven Tony Awards, including "Best Score" for Miller. He acted the part of Huck Finn's father [[List of characters in the Tom Sawyer series#Pap Finn|Pap]] for three months after the exit of actor [[John Goodman]], who left for Hollywood. In 1983, Miller played a dramatic role on an episode of ''[[Quincy, M.E.]]'' He played a country and western singer who is severely burned while freebasing cocaine.<ref name="bio" />

Miller left for [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] to live with his family following the success of ''Big River''. He co-wrote [[Dwight Yoakam]]'s hit "[[It Only Hurts When I Cry]]" from his 1990 album ''[[If There Was a Way]]'', and supplied background vocals.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jurek |first=Thom |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r123540|pure_url=yes}} |title=If There Was a Way |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=July 11, 2010}}</ref> The song was released as a single in 1991, peaking at number seven on country charts.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r123540/charts-awards/billboard-single|pure_url=yes}} |title=If There Was a Way > Chart & Awards > Billboard Singles |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=July 11, 2010 }}</ref> He began a solo guitar tour in 1990,<ref name="bio" /> ending the following year after being diagnosed with lung cancer.<ref name="bio" /> His last performance on television occurred on a special tribute to Minnie Pearl,<ref name="enc" /> which aired on [[The Nashville Network|TNN]] on October 26, 1992, the day after Miller's death.<ref>{{cite journal|title=In brief|date=October 26, 1992|journal=New York Magazine|page=85}}</ref>

== Style ==
Although he is usually grouped with country music singers, Miller's unique style defies easy classification. Many of his recordings were humorous novelty songs with whimsical lyrics, coupled with [[scat singing]] or [[vocalese]] riffs filled with nonsense syllables.<ref>{{cite book|last=Malone|first=Bill C.|title=Country music U.S.A: a fifty-year history|year=1969|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-71029-0|page=261}}</ref> Others were sincere ballads that caught the public's fancy, like his signature song, "King of the Road".<ref name="time" /> The biographical book ''Ain't Got No Cigarettes'' described Miller as an "uncategorizable talent" and stated that many regarded him as a genius.<ref name="ain't">{{citation |last=Style |first=Lyle |title=Ain't Got No Cigarettes |year=2005 |publisher=Great Plains Publications|isbn=978-1-894283-60-1|page=65}}</ref>

Miller's whimsical lyrics and nonsense-sounding style led to him writing and performing songs for children's films such as "Oo-de-Lally" for the Disney animated film ''Robin Hood''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Roger miller agrees 'words are his toys'|date=September 11, 1966|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> During his most successful years as a songwriter and singer, Miller's music was placed in the country genre due to his somewhat country- or folk-sounding voice and the use of an acoustic guitar.<ref>{{cite news|author=JON P.|title=Music: Roger Miller|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=1987}}</ref> ''[[AllMusic]]'' wrote that in blending country with [[jazz]], [[blues]], and [[pop music|pop]], Miller "utilized unusual harmonic and rhythmic devices in his sophisticated songcraft" and was an important influence on [[progressive country]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/roger-miller-mn0000151431/ |title= Roger Miller |last=Erlewine |first= Stephen Thomas|date= |work=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=2023-07-24}}</ref>

On his own style, Miller remarked that he "tried to do" things like other artists, but that it "always came out different", so he got "frustrated" until realizing, "I'm the only one that knows what I'm thinking." He commented that the favorite song that he wrote was "You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd".<ref name="time">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833570,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014060439/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833570,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 14, 2011 |title=The Unhokey Okie |magazine=Time |date=May 5, 1965}}</ref> [[Johnny Cash]] discussed Miller's bass vocal range in his [[Cash: The Autobiography|1997 autobiography]]. He stated that it was the closest to his own that he had heard.<ref>{{cite book|author=Cash, Johnny|title=Cash: The Autobiography|year=1997}}</ref>

== Personal life and death ==
Miller was married three times and fathered eight children. Miller married Barbara Crow, from [[Shamrock, Texas]], when they were both 17. Together. the couple had four children, the first of whom died shortly after birth. As Miller's young family grew, his desire for fame and success continued to grow. as well. After moving the family to California for a short time, Miller and Barbara divorced. Subsequent public interest in Miller led to the success for which he had long hoped,  but it also brought struggles that are often associated with life in the entertainment business - periods of burnout, as well as alcohol<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-26-mn-787-story.html|title=Roger Miller; 'King of the Road' Singer|date=October 26, 1992|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> and substance abuse. His amphetamine use in the 1960s<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-07-07-8502130735-story.html|title=Roger Miller's 'Big River' Lyrics Lead Him Down Another Musical|first=Jack|last=Hurst|work=Chicago Tribune|date=July 7, 1985 }}</ref> has been described as both damaging of his career and helpful to his songwriting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/week-25-roger-miller-king-of-the-road-country-s-class-1798218737|title=Week 25: Roger Miller, King of the Road/Country's Class Clown|website=Music.avclub.com|date=January 12, 2010 }}</ref> In 1972, he referred to amphetamines as "a snake pit I got into" and supported a ban on the drug in Oklahoma.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1992/11/06/legacy-roger-miller/|title=Legacy: Roger Miller|website=Ew.com}}</ref>

Miller married Leah Kendrick of San Antonio in 1964. Together the couple had two children, Dean and Shannon.

After 14 years of marriage, Leah and Miller divorced in the mid-1970s. Miller eventually married [[Mary Arnold (singer)|Mary Arnold]], whom he met through [[Kenny Rogers]]. Arnold was a replacement member in [[Kenny Rogers and The First Edition|the First Edition]], a band led by Rogers. After the breakup of the First Edition, she performed with her husband Miller on tours as a backup singer, including a performance at the [[White House]] before President [[Gerald Ford]]. In 2009, she was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.<ref name=arnold>{{cite web |url=http://www.iowarocknroll.com/inductee-details.php?id=226 |title=Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association 2009 Hall of Fame Inductee... |publisher=Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604013159/http://www.iowarocknroll.com/inductee-details.php?id=226 |archivedate=June 4, 2011}}</ref> Since Miller's death,  she has managed his estate. She sued [[Sony]] for copyright infringement in the 2007 case [[wikisource:Roger Miller Music, Inc. v. Sony/ATV Publishing, LLC|''Roger Miller Music, Inc. v. Sony/ATV Publishing, LLC'']], which went to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/07a0060p-06.pdf |title=Roger Miller Music, Inc., and Mary A. Miller v. Sont/ATV Publishing, LLC |publisher=United States Court of Appeals |date=February 13, 2007}}</ref> Arnold was ultimately awarded nearly $1&nbsp;million in royalties and rights to the songs Miller wrote in 1964.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.nationalledger.com/ledgerpop/article_272630978.shtml
|title=Roger Miller's Widow Wins&nbsp;– Court Victory Equals $900,000 in Royalties
|work=National Ledger
|date=March 23, 2010
|access-date=March 24, 2010
|archive-date=March 26, 2010
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326163156/http://www.nationalledger.com/ledgerpop/article_272630978.shtml
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>

Miller was a lifelong [[Tobacco smoking|cigarette smoker]]. During a television interview, Miller explained how he composed his songs from "bits and pieces" of ideas he wrote on scraps of paper. When asked what he did with the unused bits and pieces, he half-joked, "I smoke 'em!" He also wrote a song about his habit, titled "Dad Blame Anything a Man Can't Quit". Miller died of lung and throat cancer in 1992, at age 56, shortly after the discovery of a malignant tumor beneath his vocal cords.<ref name="enc" />

== Filmography ==
*''[[Waterhole No. 3]]'' (1967) – Balladeer (voice)
*''Daniel Boone'' (1969) – Johnny Appleseed
*''[[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Robin Hood]]'' (1973) – [[Alan-a-Dale]] – the Rooster (voice)
*''[[Sesame Street]]'' (1975) - Himself
*''[[Nestor, the Long–Eared Christmas Donkey]]'' (1977) – Spieltoe
*''[[The Muppet Show]]'' season 3, episode 21 (airdate: May 10, 1979) – Himself
*''[[Quincy, M.E.]]'' (1983) On Dying High season 8, episode 16 (undated CF 2825 well)
*''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' season 1, episode 5, "It's a Dog's Life" (airdate: November 4, 1984) - the Sheriff
*''[[Lucky Luke (1991 film)|Lucky Luke]]'' (1991) – Jolly Jumper (voice)
* ''[[Lucky Luke (1992 TV series)|Lucky Luke]]'' (8 episodes, 1992) – Jolly Jumper/narrator (voice)

== Discography ==
{{Main|Roger Miller discography}}

== Awards ==
[[File:Roger Miller stuff, CMHF.jpg|thumb|234x234px|Miller's Grammy Awards at the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]]]]
In addition to 11 [[Grammy Award]]s, Roger Miller won Broadway's [[Tony Award]] for writing the music and lyrics for ''Big River'', which won a total of 7 Tony's including best musical in 1985.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/tonyawardsshowinfo.php?showname=Big%20River|title=Big River Tony Awards Info|website=Broadwayworld.com|language=en|access-date=August 28, 2018}}</ref> He was voted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1973<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/Site/inductee?entry_id=3863|title=Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame|website=Nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com|language=en|access-date=August 28, 2018}}</ref> and the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://countrymusichalloffame.org/Inductees/InducteeDetail/roger-miller|title=Roger Miller|website=Country Music Hall of Fame|access-date=August 28, 2018|archive-date=August 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829072102/https://countrymusichalloffame.org/Inductees/InducteeDetail/roger-miller|url-status=dead}}</ref> Miller won 11 Grammy Awards.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/roger-miller|title=Roger Miller|date=May 22, 2018|work=GRAMMY.com|access-date=August 28, 2018|language=en}}</ref> In Erick, Oklahoma, where he grew up, a thoroughfare was renamed "Roger Miller Boulevard" and a museum dedicated to Miller was built on the road in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |last=Flippo |first=Chet |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/nashville-skyline/1488141/nashville-skyline-roger-miller-gets-a-museum.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607002301/http://www.cmt.com/news/nashville-skyline/1488141/nashville-skyline-roger-miller-gets-a-museum.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Nashville Skyline: Roger Miller Gets a Museum |publisher=[[Country Music Television|CMT]] |date=June 3, 2004}}</ref>

Awards won by Miller:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/l-o/roger-miller.aspx |title=Roger Miller |publisher=Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame |access-date=July 11, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614222247/http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/l-o/roger-miller.aspx |archive-date=June 14, 2011 }}</ref>

*1964&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Country Song: "Dang Me"
*1964&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best New Country and Western Artist
*1964&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Country and Western Recording, Single: "Dang Me"
*1964&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Country and Western Performance, Male: "Dang Me"
*1964&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Country and Western Album: "Dang Me"/"Chug-a-Lug"
*1965&nbsp;— Jukebox Artist of the Year
*1965&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Country Song: "King of the Road"
*1965&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male: "King of the Road"
*1965&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Country and Western Recording, Single: "King of the Road"
*1965&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Male: "King of the Road"
*1965&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Contemporary (Rock 'N Roll), Single: "King of the Road"
*1965&nbsp;— [[Grammy Award]] for Best Country and Western Album: "The Return of Roger Miller"
*1965&nbsp;— Academy of Country and Western Music: "Best Songwriter"
*1965&nbsp;— Academy of Country and Western Music: "Man of the Year"
*1973&nbsp;— [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]]
*1985&nbsp;— [[Tony Award for Best Score]]: ''[[Big River (musical)|Big River]]''
*1985&nbsp;— [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics]]: ''Big River''
*1988&nbsp;— Academy of Country Music: Pioneer Award
*1995&nbsp;— [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] (Inducted with [[Jo Walker-Meador]])
*1997&nbsp;— [[List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients A-D|Grammy Hall of Fame Song]] : "Dang Me"
*1998&nbsp;— [[List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients J-P|Grammy Hall of Fame Song]] : "King of the Road"
*2003&nbsp;— [[Country Music Television|CMT]]'s ''40 Greatest Men of Country Music'': Ranked No.&nbsp;23.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*Cooper, Daniel. (1998). "Roger Miller." In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music.'' Paul Kingsbury, Ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp.&nbsp;347–8.

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website|https://www.rogermiller.com/}}
*[http://www.rogermillermusic.com/ All Roger Miller Songs Written and Released] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030716010043/http://rogermillermusic.com/ |date=July 16, 2003 }}
*[http://www.tv.com/quincy-m.e./on-dying-high/episode/42360/summary.html Episode of Quincy ME starring Roger Miller] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220041613/http://www.tv.com/quincy-m.e./on-dying-high/episode/42360/summary.html |date=February 20, 2009 }}
*{{IMDb name|0589248}}
*{{IBDB name}}
*[http://www.rogermillermuseum.com/ Roger Miller Museum in Erick, Oklahoma]
*[https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19759/m1/ Roger Miller interview] on the [[Pop Chronicles]]

{{Roger Miller}}
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{{1990s Country Music Hall of Fame}}
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