Jody Miller
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jody Miller (born: Myrna Joey Miller) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Also known as | Jody Brooks | |
| Born | November 29, 1941 (age 65) | |
| Origin | Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Genre(s) | Country | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer | |
| Label(s) | Capitol, Epic | |
Jody Miller (November 29, 1941) is a country music singer. Miller was born in Phoenix, Arizona and raised in Oklahoma. Discovered by actor Dale Robertson, she began her career in the early 1960's as a folk/pop singer, singing in the Los Angeles area and appearing on Tom Paxton's television series. She released her first album on Capitol Records in 1964 and had a modest pop hit that year with "He Walks Like a Man". In 1965 she released an answer record to Roger Miller's blockbuster hit "King of the Road" titled "Queen of the House" which became her signature hit, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 5 on the country singles chart. Miller won the Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the song in 1966.
Miller also scored a second top 40 pop hit that year with "Home of the Brave" and became a pioneer crossover (music) female vocalist, opening the doors for Linda Ronstadt, Anne Murray, and Olivia Newton-John as a pop singer recording a strong country influence and finding success in both genres. Miller's pop success petered out by the late 1960's. Tammy Wynette's record producer Billy Sherrill was a fan of Miller's and signed her to Epic Records in 1970 to record specifically for the country market. She had two country hits right off the bat before recording a remake of the '60's pop hit "He's So Fine" that hit the top 5 on the country chart and #55 on the pop chart, earning Miller her second Grammy nomination. Several years of major country hits followed, many of them ironically remakes of pop/rock classics such as "Baby I'm Yours", "Be My Baby", and "To Know Him is to Love Him". Among the new country songs she had hits with were the top tens "There's a Party Goin' On", "Good News", and "Darling, You Can Always Come Back Home". During these years she was a very popular country singer. She also continued to have hits with cover versions of pop hits like "House of the Rising Sun", a hit for The Animals, "Reflections", a hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes, and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", a hit for Aretha Franklin.
Miller's last country hit was 1977's "When the New Wears Off Our Love" and two years later she made her final chart appearance. She went into semi-retirement in the 1980's where her and her husband owned a ranch in Oklahoma, later emerging as a Christian music artist and releasing several albums on religious music. She also tried singing with her daughter Robyn and they toured together and recorded but this didn't last long. She continues to perform live and sings her secular hits as well as her gospel material.
