Big Miller

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Clarence Horatius "Big" Miller (born December 18, 1922 in Sioux City , Iowa , USA ; † June 9, 1992 in Edmonton , Alberta , Canada ) was an American blues and jazz singer . He also played the trombone and appeared in several films as an actor.

Miller began his career as a blues singer in Kansas City , where he performed with pianist Jay McShann and in the Duke Ellington orchestra .

In the 1960s, Miller sang in the Jon Hendricks - Revue "The Evolution of the Blues", and he a record deal with Columbia Records got. He made further recordings with Savoy Records , partly accompanied by Clifford Curry and the Clovers.

In addition to his musical activities, Miller also tried his hand as a film actor. He had a guest appearance in the star-studded Hollywood comedy A Total, Totally Crazy World ( It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World , 1963). In 1982 he played a leading role as a murderer in the surrealist film The Big Meat Eater directed by Chris Windsor.

In the 1970s Miller moved to Edmonton, Canada, where he lived from then on. He celebrated success in the local music scene, among others with Tommy Banks , with whom he recorded several albums and in 1978 also performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival .

Miller was involved in the newly formed Edmonton Jazz Society and as a jazz teacher at the Banff Center for Fine Arts. In 1987 the National Film Board of Canada made a documentary about him.

Miller died in Edmonton in 1992. Some of his musician colleagues dedicated recordings to him, such as Jay McShann's Big Miller's Blues and the Canadian Shuffle Demons the piece Never Be the Same: Big Miller Blues.

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personal data
SURNAME Miller, Big
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Miller, Clarence Horatius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues and jazz singer
DATE OF BIRTH December 18, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Sioux City
DATE OF DEATH June 9, 1992
Place of death Edmonton