David Miller (country singer)
David Miller (born March 17, 1883 on the Ohio River , Ohio , † November 1, 1953 ) was an American country singer and musician. He is considered to be one of the first country musicians to make records . His nickname was The Blind Soldier .
Life
Childhood and youth
David Miller was born a few miles from West Virginia's state line and raised on a farm. Old fiddle music and folk influenced him early on, but in 1917 he was called up as a soldier in the First World War . At first he was only partially blind from poison gas , then completely after his discharge from the army. Amazingly, he only learned to play the guitar after he was blind .
Career
In the early 1920s, Miller and his wife moved to Huntington , West Virginia , where he met the banjo player Cecil "Cob" Adkins. Together they appeared for the first time on the radio station WSAZ. Due to the broad audibility of the station, Miller and Adkins quickly gained popularity. He always made his first recordings as a solo artist in 1924 with the Starr Piano Company label , Gennett Records . Along with Fiddlin 'John Carson , Wendell Hall and Vernon Dalhart , he was one of the first rural musicians to make a record. From 1927 to 1933 he had his own radio show, one of the very first music shows. In the late 1920s, he then moved to Paramount Records , where he continued to release records.
In the early 1940s, he and Adkins worked increasingly with the West Virginia Mockingbirds , a string band that consisted of the brothers Ed, George, Jim, Albert and Frank Baumgardner and Belford Harvey. Miller's son David Miller, Jr. also joined the group as a guitarist. In the 1940s and 1950s, he appeared in Guyandotte increasingly on country and western shows, where he sang with stars such as T. Texas Tyler and Patsy Cline .
David Miller died on November 1, 1953 at the age of 70.
Discography
| year | title | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge Records | |||
| 1927 | Sweet Floetta / You'll Find Her With The Angels | as Don Kutter | |
| 1927 | The Preacher and The Bear / Give My Love To Nellie, Jack | A-side by J.McGhee | |
| 1927 | A Little Child Shall Lead Them / Down Where The Swanee [Suwanee] River Flows | as Don Kutter | |
| 1927 | ? / ? | ||
| Gennett Records | |||
| 1927 | Don't Forget Me, Little Darling / Lonesome Valley | ||
| 1927 | Two Little Orphans / That Bad Man Stacklee | ||
| 1927 | Many Times With You I Wandered / Sweet Floetta | ||
| 1927 | And A Little Child Shall Lead Them / You'll Find Her With The Angels | ||
| 1927 | Down Where The Swanee [Suwanee] River Flows / Give My Love To Nellie | ||
| Banner Records | |||
| 1931 | Way Down In Jail On My Knees / It's Hard To Be Shut Up In Prison | as The Blind Soldier | |
| 1931 | Cannon Ball Rag / Jailhouse Rag | as Blind Soldier (Davey Miller) (!) | |
Web links
- David Miller in the All Music Guide
- David Miller (country singer) on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Miller, David |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer and musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 17, 1883 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | on the Ohio River , Ohio |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 1, 1953 |