Buddy Miller

Buddy Miller

Miller at the SXSW festival in 2010, Austin, Texas.
Background information
Born September 6, 1952
Fairborn, Ohio
Genres Country, Americana
Occupation(s) Musician, singer-songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1983–present
Labels HighTone, New West
Associated acts Julie Miller, Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue, Buddy Miller Band, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Emmylou Harris, Band of Joy, Steve Earle
Website buddyandjulie.com

Steven P. "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Miller is married to and has recorded with singer-songwriter Julie Miller.[1]

Early life and musical career

While living in New York City in the late 1970s, Miller formed the Buddy Miller Band,[2] which included singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin on vocals and guitar.

Miller moved to Nashville in the 1990s where he worked on recording sessions as a guitar player and vocalist and began producing his own records in his living room studio.[3] His first solo recording, Your Love and Other Lies was released in 1995 followed by Poison Love in 1997 and Cruel Moon in 1999. In 2001, along with wife, Julie Miller, he released Buddy & Julie Miller that won the Americana Music Association Album of the Year Award.[4]

Touring and performance

Miller has toured as lead guitarist and backing vocalist for Emmylou Harris's Spyboy band, Steve Earle on his El Corazon tour, Shawn Colvin, Linda Ronstadt, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Patty Griffin. In 2002, Miller toured as part of the Down from the Mountain Tour along with Alison Krauss and Union Station.[5] In 2004, Miller toured with Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings as the Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue.[6]

Buddy Miller toured as part of the band on Robert Plant and Alison Krauss's Raising Sand tour of the U.S. and Europe in 2008 then joined Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin on the Three Girls and Their Buddy tour. While on tour, Miller suffered a heart attack in Baltimore on February 19, 2009 following his performance with Three Girls and Their Buddy and underwent triple bypass surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital on February 20.[7]

In 2010, Miller again joined Robert Plant and Patty Griffin with Plant's Band of Joy, touring both the U.S. and Europe.[8] Miller toured with Jim Lauderdale on the Buddy and Jim Tour in 2012.[9]

Recording

Record producer

Miller has produced albums for artists including Richard Thompson,[10] Shawn Colvin,[11] The Devil Makes Three,[12] Allison Moorer,[13] The Wood Brothers,[14] The Carolina Chocolate Drops,[15] The McCrarys,[16] and Ralph Stanley.[17] He has co-produced records with Robert Plant, Jim Lauderdale and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

In 2006 Solomon Burke recorded his country album 'Nashville' with Miller. Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch and Dolly Parton appear as duet partners.[18]

Miller produced Patty Griffin's Downtown Church[19] that was released in 2010 and won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Gospel Album on February 13, 2011.[20]

Miller has produced his own solo albums as well as recordings for and with his wife, singer-songwriter Julie Miller.

Session work

He co-produced and performed on Jimmie Dale Gilmore's 2000 album Endless Night.[21] He has also appeared on several albums by songwriter and singer Lucinda Williams.

Miller has worked as an instrumentalist or vocalist on records for Johnny Cash, Levon Helm, Lee Ann Womack, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Victoria Williams, Shawn Colvin, Bobby Bare, Chris Knight, John Fogerty, The Chieftains, Frank Black, Rodney Crowell, Dixie Chicks, Elvis Costello, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. He has also worked as a recording engineer, mixer or mastering engineer on records by Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, Jim Lauderdale, and Patty Griffin.

Songwriting

Template:Unsourced BLP section Levon Helm, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Lee Ann Womack, Dixie Chicks, Hank Williams III, Dierks Bentley, Patty Loveless, and Brooks & Dunn have recorded songs written by Miller.

Film and TV

Miller signed on as a producer for the ABC TV series Nashville in 2012. He was the executive music producer for the show in season two and three.[22] He also was music producer and musical director for Nashville: On The Record Live Specials.[23]

Along with Don Was, Miller was the musical director for The Life and Songs of Emmylou Harris tribute concert.[24]

Miller was musical director and bandleader for the Americana Music Association’s Honors & Awards shows broadcast on AXS TV and PBS.[25]

Tom T. Hall's song "That's How I Got To Memphis" featured in the final episode of HOB's The Newsroom in 2014 was recorded by Miller.[26]

Starz political drama Boss used the Plant-Miller produced "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" as its theme song.[27]

Miller produced the track "Beyond the Blue" featuring Emmylou Harris and Patty Griffin for the 2000 film Where the Heart Is.[28]

In 2015 he appeared on Christina Aguilera's song "Shotgun", which was written for her appearance on Nashville.

Awards, accolades, and Other Activities

Between 2002 and 2013, Buddy has won twelve Americana Music Honors & Awards and was nominated for an additional seven.[29] Since 2005, he has also led the Americana All Star Band that performs along with artist nominees during the Americana Music Honors & Awards Ceremonies held annually at The Ryman Auditorium.[30]

Americana music awards and nominations

Year Award result
2002 Artist of the Year Nominated (with Julie)
2002 Album of the Year (Buddy & Julie Miller) Won
2003 Instrumentalist of the Year Nominated
2003 Album of the Year (Midnight & Lonesome) Nominated
2005 Artist of the Year Nominated
2005 Song of the Year (Worry Too Much Written by Mark Heard and performed by Buddy Miller) Won
2005 Album of the Year (Universal United House of Prayer) Won
2007 Instrumentalist of the Year Won
2008 Instrumentalist of the Year Won
2009 Instrumentalist of the Year Nominated
2009 Album of the Year Won (Written In Chalk by Buddy & Julie Miller)
2009 Song of the Year Won (Chalk Written by Julie Miller and performed by Buddy and Julie Miller)
2009 Duo/Group of the Year (Buddy and Julie Miller) Won
2009 Artist of the Year Won
2010 Instrumentalist of the Year Won
2011 Instrumentalist of the Year Won
2011 Artist of the Year Won
2012 Instrumentalist of the Year Won
2013 Duo/Group of the Year (with Jim Lauderdale) Nominated
2013 Artist of the Year Nominated
2013 Album of the Year (Buddy & Jim - Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale) Nominated

No Depression magazine named him Artist of the Decade in 2008.[31]

He has a signature acoustic guitar made by the Fender company,[32] and frequently uses vintage Wandré electric guitars.

Radio

Miller and long-time friend and collaborator Jim Lauderdale teamed up in 2012 to produce The Buddy & Jim Radio Show, which is broadcast on Outlaw Country (Sirius XM).[33]

Discography

Year Album Peak chart positions Label
US Country US Christian US US Heat US Indie
1995 Man on the Moon (Buddy Miller and The Sacred Cows) Coyote
Your Love and Other Lies HighTone
1997 Poison Love
1999 Cruel Moon
2001 Buddy & Julie Miller (with Julie Miller) 45 41
2002 Midnight and Lonesome 50
2004 Love Snuck Up (with Julie Miller)
Universal United House of Prayer 64 40 New West
2008 The Best of the HighTone Years Shout! Factory
2009 Written in Chalk (with Julie Miller) 159 3 New West
2011 The Majestic Silver Strings 37 8 41
2012 Buddy & Jim (with Jim Lauderdale) 67 20

References

  1. ↑ Pierce, Ellise. "Q&A: Musician-producer Buddy Miller". Cowboys & Indians. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  2. ↑ Dougherty, Steve. "In Nashville, the Buddy System". Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ Rotondi, James. "Universal Audio". Buddy Miller on Making Records with Apollo and UAD-2 Plug-Ins. Universal Audio. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Recipient Archive". Americana Music Association. Americana Music. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ Drennen, Eileen. "The Secret Is Out On The Millers". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ Jackson, Josh. "The Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue". Paste Magazine. Paste Media Group.
  7. ↑ Betts, Stephen. "Buddy Miller Recovering From Heart Surgery". The Boot. Taste of Country. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. ↑ Neal, Chris. "How Buddy Miller brought Robert Plant’s Band of Joy into the heart of Americana". Nashville Scene. City Press LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  9. ↑ Parker, Eric. "Buddy Miller And Jim Lauderdale Announce Tour". MusicRow. MusicRow - Nashville's Music Industry Publication. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Richard Thompson: Trio Album Produced by Buddy Miller". JamBase. JamBase Inc. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Bio". Shawn Colvin. Shawn Colvin. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  12. ↑ Bailey, Rachel. "The Devil Makes Three to Release Buddy Miller-Produced Album". Paste Magazine. Paste Media Group. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  13. ↑ Bialas, Michael. "All Aboard: This Roller Coaster Gets Down to Believing in Allison Moorer". Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Bio". The Wood Brothers. The Wood Brothers. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  15. ↑ "About". Carolina Chocolate Drops. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  16. ↑ Dauphin, Chuck. "Exclusive Album Premiere: Listen to the McCrary Sisters' 'Let's Go' Now". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  17. ↑ Betts, Stephen. "Ralph Stanley on His All-Star Album With Robert Plant, Dierks Bentley". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  18. ↑ Fink, Matt. "SOLOMON BURKE: Nashville Calling". American Songwriter. ForASong Media. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  19. ↑ Ayers, Michael. "Patty Griffin Returns With Gospel Inspired 'Downtown Church'". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Winners". Grammy.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  21. ↑ Gettelman, Perry. "Gilmore Is Great On `One Endless Night'". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  22. ↑ Gold, Adam. "T Bone Burnett Not Returning to Nashville, Buddy Miller to Take Over as Show's Music Producer". Nashville Scene. City Press, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  23. ↑ MusicLounge. "Nashville: On The Record Special". ABC Music Lounge. ABC. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  24. ↑ Dunham, Nancy. "199 390 1131 Print The Five Best Things We Saw at the Life & Songs of Emmylou Harris Concert". Country Weekly. Cumulus Media. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Americana Music Honors & Awards to Air on PBS's "Austin City Limits," Featuring Robert Plant, Ry Cooder". Nonesuch Records. Nonesuch Records. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  26. ↑ Kienzle, Rich. "'The Newsroom's' Country Interlude: 'That's How I Got To Memphis'". Post-Gazzette. PG Publishing, Co. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  27. ↑ Neal, Chris. "How Buddy Miller brought Robert Plant’s Band of Joy into the heart of Americana". Nashville Scene. City Press, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Where The Heart Is". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Recipient Archive". Americana Music Association. Americana Music. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  30. ↑ "About The Awards". Americana Music Association. Americana Music. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  31. ↑ Alden, Grant. "Buddy Miller - A disquisition on the centrality of love and faith in the music of Buddy Miller and the several other reasons he is artist of the decade. And stuff.". No Depression. Freshgrass, LLC. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  32. ↑ Bryant, Will. "Fender Acoustic > Buddy Miller Signature Guitar". American Songwriter. ForASong Media, LLC. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  33. ↑ "SiriusXM Outlaw Country". Sirius XM Radio Inc. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

External links