Marion Joseph "Taps" Miller (July 22, 1915,

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, United States - ?) was an American entertainer, trumpeter, and vocalist. Miller sang and danced in stage revues in New York City from 1932 through the end of the decade, including in the show ''

Blackbirds of 1939 ''Blackbirds of 1939'' was an African-American musical revue in Lew Leslie's series of Blackbirds productions. It was the last revue, following on from '' Blackbirds of 1928'', ''Blackbirds of 1930'', '' Blackbirds of 1933'', 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1 ...

''. Early in the 1940s he emceed at Kelly's Stables and sat in as a percussionist at

Clark Monroe's Uptown House Clark Monroe's Uptown House, sometimes shortened to Monroe's Uptown House or simply Monroe's, was a nightclub in New York City. Along with Minton's Playhouse, it was one of the two principal jazz clubs in the early history of bebop. History Cla ...

, in addition to singing on a recording by

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

in 1945. He joined the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

in 1944 as a sideman for

Alberta Hunter Alberta Hunter (April 1, 1895 – October 17, 1984) was an American jazz and blues singer and songwriter from the early 1920s to the late 1950s. After twenty years of working as a nurse, Hunter resumed her singing career in 1977. Early life Hu ...

, and returned to New York after the war, where he worked with Basie again. He joined

Mezz Mezzrow Milton Mesirow (November 9, 1899 – August 5, 1972), better known as Mezz Mezzrow, was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist from Chicago, Illinois. He is remembered for organizing and financing recording sessions with Tommy Ladnier ...

's band in 1953 and toured with him throughout Europe and North Africa; while on this trip, he recorded in Belgium as a leader with

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

and Kansas Fields. He also played with Raymond Fonseque in Paris. He lived in France for some time after the tour; the details of his later life are unknown.

References

*Howard Rye, "Taps Miller". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at U ...

. * Musicians from Indianapolis American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters American jazz singers American male singers 20th-century American dancers American male dancers 1915 births American jazz tubists Year of death missing American male jazz musicians {{US-jazz-musician-stub