Dottie Golt Leonard Miller is an American business executive who heads companies that specialize in Christian music and other Christian products. She is a member of the

Gospel Music Hall of Fame The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1972 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals and groups in all forms of gospel music. Inductees This is an incompl ...

and the

Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

Early years

A native of

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, Miller is the daughter of William M. Golt and Dorothy Golt. She graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1963.

Career

Miller began her Christian and Gospel music career as a receptionist, radio promoter, and salesperson for Calvary Records and Windchime Records. In 1981, helped by a modest investment by family members and a friend, Miller launched New Day Christian Distributors in her garage. Over time, the company added books, clothing, games, gifts, and toys and became "a major source of distribution for the Christian retail market." Recording labels distributed by New Day include Fuel, Daywind, Malaco, Reach, Tooth and Nail, Gotee, Fair Trade, GoDigiPath, Tyscot, Lunjeal, and Word/Curb. In 1986, Miller and Ronnie Drake created Daywind Music Group, which comprises Daywind Music Publishing, Daywind Performance Tracks, Daywind Records, and Daywind Studios. Described in the trade publication ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' as "one of the most successful companies in the Christian market", the company has released more than 5,500 performance soundtracks, 500 albums, and many print music pieces. Artists whose music has been supported by Daywind include

The Blackwood Brothers The Blackwood Brothers are an American southern gospel quartet. Pioneers of the Christian music industry, they are 8-time Grammy Award winners in addition to winning 7 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. They are also members of the Memphis M ...

Brian Free and Assurance Brian Free & Assurance is a Southern Gospel group. Brian Free formed the group in 1993 after performing with the Gold City Gold City is an American southern gospel quartet based in Gadsden, Alabama. Formed in 1980, the group was one of t ...

Gold City Gold City is an American southern gospel quartet based in Gadsden, Alabama. Formed in 1980, the group was one of the most successful quartets through the 1980s and 1990s, charting ten number one hits in Singing News magazine and being host ...

Mark Lowry Mark Alan Lowry (born June 24, 1958) is an American singer, comedian, minister and songwriter. He is best known for co-writing the song "Mary, Did You Know?" and being a member of the Gaither Vocal Band from 1988 to 2001, and 2009 to 2013, alo ...

, Crabb Family, Karen Peck and New River, Perrys, Legacy Five, Greater Vision, Wilburn and Wilburn, LeFevre Quart, The Sound, HighRoad, Tim Menzies, Jason Crabb, Joseph Habedank, Triumphant Quartet, and

The Nelons The Nelons are an American southern gospel group based in Atlanta, Georgia. Group members are Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and Kelly's daughters Amber Nelon Kistler and Autumn Nelon Clark. The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Mu ...

. Daywind began producing the ''Live at Oak Tree'' and "Live at Daywind" series of DVDs of Christian performers, with the format derived from Miller's appreciation of music videos. The video recordings were featured on FamilyNet,

Gospel Music Channel UP TV (stylized as UPtv; formerly GMC TV and originally Gospel Music Channel) is an American basic cable television network that was founded to have a focus on gospel music. It has expanded into family-friendly original movies, series, and special ...

, and Inspo Network. In 1990, Miller created Daywind Music Publishing, one of the top publishers in Christian music with a songwriter roster of 16 including Jason Cox, Gerald Crabb, Lee Black, Sue C. Smith, Karen Peck Gooch, Devin McGlamery, Bill Whyte, Dianne Wilkinson, and many more. Miller has established Music Source Direct as a short-run duplication facility, and currently owns two recording studios. Miller is one of the only female business executives to be inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame, as well as the SGMA Southern Gospel Hall of Fame.

Recognition

Honors given to Miller include the following: *2005 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Gospel Music Guild. *2013

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership co ...

's Lifetime Achievement Award. *2019 Induction into the

*2020 Induction into the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Dottie Leonard Year of birth missing (living people) American women business executives American women company founders American company founders American music publishers (people) People from Wilmington, Delaware Living people 21st-century American women