Leroy Miller

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Miller at a concert with the band Smashmouth

Leroy Miller (born February 19, 1965 in Spokane , Washington ) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter . In Germany, he first gained a larger audience when he appeared on the soundtracks for the comedy series Scrubs and Arrested Development .

Childhood and youth

Very early on, Miller had the desire to become either a motorcycle racer or a musician. He took guitar lessons for the first time at the age of ten and showed his teacher four of his own compositions within a week. The guitar teacher, overwhelmed by Miller's talent, contacted Miller's parents and told them about the boy's talent. That's why his parents took him to many different concerts and bought him many albums by Jimi Hendrix , Buddy Miles and Elton John .

Hog

In school he played in various bands from the 6th grade on, after graduating from high school he moved to Hollywood , founded the punk band Hog and got his first record deal with it. The album "Nothing Sacred" was not a great success, however, and the trio separated again after a short time.

Solo artist

First, Miller had to keep himself afloat financially with small jobs as a cable installer, gas station attendant and small gigs . Soon, however, record companies noticed him and in 1999 he got his first solo record deal with Hollywood Records and recorded the album "Leroy". Even before the album was officially released, five different film and advertising productions wanted to use the material for their own purposes:

Otherwise the album was very successful financially. However, because Miller didn't like the way Hollywood Records wanted to market him, he soon founded his own label, TML Records, releasing Squish in 2005 and Walla Walla in 2007. Numerous songs from both albums were used again for television productions and both became successful again. The release date for his fourth album "Don't Make Me Beg" was given as summer 2010, but the album has not yet been released. In addition, a best of album is planned, which will contain the most famous songs from the four albums as well as the acoustic version of "Good Time" which has become famous among fans.
In 2008 Miller was briefly lead guitarist for the band Smash Mouth , replacing Greg Camp , who returned to the band soon after.

Private

Little is known about Miller's personal life, but he lives in California , which is also mentioned in many songs such as "I'm From Cali" (Squish) and "My Way" (Walla Walla).

features

Miller does not commit to one style of music, but always tries new things. In general one can say his music consists of a mixture of pop , soul , rock , funk and country music. However, all albums have some things in common:

  • Miller's distinctive voice and dialect are characteristic
  • The guitar is almost always in the foreground with the drums
  • Scratch elements are often included.
  • A guitar solo is included in almost every song

Leroy

On his first album the punk elements from his time on "Hog" are still clearly recognizable, but country music also has a great influence on many of the songs. In the song "The Way We Carry On" there is a verse of spoken chants sung by Damani Washington . The basis of the songs is almost always the heavily distorted electric guitar.

Squish

Leroy's music moves further away from punk and approaches the funk / pop genre. The electric guitar is no longer the main part of all songs, but is still very important for songs like "Satisfied" or "Bluebird". The song "I'm from Cali" also contains elements of reggae .

Walla Walla

The music becomes very country and folk-heavy and the previously characteristic electric guitar fades into the background. Instead, the sound is dominated by the acoustic guitar and the drums. The lyrics of the songs express Miller's optimistic lifestyle.

Don't Make Me Beg

According to Miller's own statement, the album should be like "Leroy" again, as characterized by hard riffs and the electric guitar.

Others

  • Miller is a staunch user of Fender guitars and is also listed on the list of "Fenderartists" on the company's website. Mostly he is seen with the Fender Stratocaster or the Fender Telecaster .
  • Miller can play most of the instruments that can be heard on his albums well himself, but always remains true to his guitar playing. Nevertheless, he can also be heard on the albums as a keyboardist, beat producer and DJ.
  • Miller sometimes also writes for or with other artists. He wrote and sang the song "Why" with Ken Coomer and wrote some songs for David Martínez . An example of this is "Hey Mary".
  • Nothing is known about Miller's family, relationships, and friends. What is certain is that he lives in California.
  • In the song "Error of my Ways," Miller incorporated recordings from his father's old high school orchestra.

Discography

  • Leroy (2001)
  • Squish (2005)
  • Walla Walla (2007)
  • Don't Make Me Beg (2010)
  • Temple (2013)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Miller, Leroy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer, guitarist and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH February 19, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH Spokane , Washington , USA