Rhett Miller
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Stewart Ransom "Rhett" Miller II (born September 1970) is the lead singer of the
country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...
band
Old 97's Old 97's is an American rock band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1992, they have since released twelve studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is ''Twelfth''. They ...
. He also records and performs as a solo musician, and has been published as a writer of both fiction and non-fiction.


Early life

Miller, a seventh-generation Texan, was born in
Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Miller's parents divorced when he was 17 years old. Miller, the oldest of three children, has a younger brother and sister. In 1952, Miller's paternal grandfather, Giles E. Miller, a young millionaire scion of a successful textile family, owned the first NFL football team in the South, the
Dallas Texans Dallas Texans may refer to: American football *Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952 team in the National Football League *Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960–1962 team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs * Dallas Texans (arena), 1990–1993 Arena Football League team ...
. The Texans folded after seven games, marking the last time an NFL franchise would go bankrupt. Miller's family lived in the Highland Park,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, neighborhood where he went to Armstrong Elementary School. In 4th grade, Miller was hospitalized for several months due to a severe inner-ear problem. In 6th grade, he began attending
St. Mark's School of Texas The St. Mark's School of Texas is a nonsectarian preparatory day school for boys in grades 1–12 in Dallas, Texas, United States, accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. History St. Mark's traces its origins to the T ...
, a private boys' school in
North Dallas North Dallas is an area of numerous communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas (United States). The phrase "North Dallas" is also sometimes used to include any suburb or exurb north of Dallas proper within the metropolitan area. The majority of ...
. Miller has said that his time at St. Mark's was very difficult, and that he was ostracized and bullied. His depression culminated in a suicide attempt at the age of 14. As part of the process of recovery Miller turned to music and started to play in bands in high school and became a local folk performer, headlining in small venues and opening for such nationally touring artists as
Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto Cash Distin, Johnny Cash's first wife. Although she is often classified as a country art ...
,
Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song "Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", "Baby D ...
, and
The Lords of the New Church The Lords of the New Church were an English/American supergroup with a line-up originally consisting of four musicians from 1970s punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators (ex- the Dead Boys), guitarist Brian James (ex- the Da ...
. In high school, he edited St. Mark’s literary magazine, and helped to start an alternative literary magazine called ''The Rag,'' for which he wrote poetry. He started taking guitar lessons when he was 12 years old, started writing songs when he was 13, and played his first gig at 15 years old in April 1985 at 500 Cafe in downtown Dallas. In 1989, Miller graduated from
St. Mark's School of Texas The St. Mark's School of Texas is a nonsectarian preparatory day school for boys in grades 1–12 in Dallas, Texas, United States, accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. History St. Mark's traces its origins to the T ...
. He briefly attended
Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...
on a creative writing scholarship before deciding to move back to Texas to pursue a music career.


Career

In 1989, while still in high school, Miller released an album called ''
Mythologies Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
.'' The album title was taken from a book of essays by the French media philosopher
Roland Barthes Roland Gérard Barthes (; ; 12 November 1915 – 26 March 1980) was a French literary theorist, essayist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. His work engaged in the analysis of a variety of sign systems, mainly derived from Western popular ...
. Only 1,000 copies of the CD exist. Miller signed and numbered each one. In 1990, when Miller returned to Dallas after his semester at college, Miller formed a band called Sleepy Heroes with childhood friend and future Old 97’s bassist Murry Hammond. Sleepy Heroes was a power-pop three piece. They released one album, ''Under a Radio Sun,'' before they broke up. The Old 97's song, "Victoria," was written during the last few months of Sleepy Heroes. Miller was the lead singer of various bands in Dallas between 1990 and 1993: Rhett Miller's Third Eye, Buzz, Rhett's Exploding, and Retablo, for which Miller self-recorded an unreleased record on cassette, which included some early Old 97s songs. In 1993, Miller and Hammond formed
Old 97's Old 97's is an American rock band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1992, they have since released twelve studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is ''Twelfth''. They ...
as a three piece acoustic act along with their neighbor at Dallas’ Marquita Court Apartments, guitarist Ken Bethea. They played as a three piece for six months before adding Darin Lin Wood on drums. He played with the band for a few weeks in the summer of 1993 before being replaced by Philip Peeples who has remained the band’s drummer ever since. Old 97’s first album, ''
Hitchhike To Rhome ''Hitchhike to Rhome'' is the first studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on November 1, 1994 (see 1994 in music). The title comes from the song, "Stoned," and refers to Rhome, Texas. The lyrics make numerous ref ...
,'' came out on local Dallas label Big Iron Records in 1993. During the first year of Old 97’s, Miller also performed as a touring member of the band Killbilly. It was during a Killbilly tour that Miller met
Nan Warshaw Nan Warshaw (born November 2, 1962) is the Co-Founder of Bloodshot Records, an independent record label based out of Chicago. Early life and education Warshaw grew up in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago as well as Evanston, Illinois. In 19 ...
, owner of Chicago’s
Bloodshot Records Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in alternative country. History Bloodshot Records was founded in 1994 by Nan Warshaw, Rob Miller, and Eric Babcock, who knew each other from jobs ...
, the label which released Old 97’s second album, ''
Wreck Your Life ''Wreck Your Life'' is the second studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on October 3, 1995 (see 1995 in music). The album's title comes from a Texas Department of Transportation bumper sticker with the slogan, "Don ...
.'' After a sold-out SXSW showcase in 1995, Old 97’s found themselves the subject of a major label bidding war. 15 record labels fought to sign the band, with
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
A&R rep Tom Desavia finally inking the band to a multi-album deal. Their first Elektra release, ''
Too Far To Care ''Too Far to Care'' is the third studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on June 17, 1997 (see 1997 in music). The album's title comes from the song "Streets of Where I'm From." History The album was the band's first ...
,'' came out in 1997, followed by ''
Fight Songs A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...
'' and ''
Satellite Rides ''Satellite Rides'' is the fifth studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released in the second quarter of 2001 (see 2001 in music). Though track 9, "Weightless", refers to outer space while the chorus croons "ride on, ride on" ...
.'' In 2002, Miller released '' The Instigator'' on
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
. The record was produced and recorded with
Jon Brion Jon Brion is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and the Grays before becoming an established producer and film score composer. Brion has ...
, received critical acclaim and substantial airplay on alternative-oriented radio stations. In 2006, Miller released '' The Believer'' on the Verve Forecast label. It includes a cover of Brion's "I Believe She's Lying" and "Fireflies," a duet with
Rachael Yamagata Rachael Yamagata (born September 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Arlington, Virginia. She began her musical career with the band Bumpus before becoming a solo artist and releasing five EPs and four studio albums. Her ...
. In 2009, Miller released his fourth record, the self-titled '' Rhett Miller'', on
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
. The record includes Jon Brion on guitar and bass,
The Apples in Stereo The Apples in Stereo, styled as The Apples in stereo, are an American pop/rock band associated with Elephant 6 Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Of Montreal, and Circulatory Sy ...
's John Dufilho on drums and Billy Harvey on guitar. In 2011, Miller self-released a live recording of '' The Interpreter: Live at Largo.'' In 2012, Miller released '' The Dreamer.'' The record, a Maximum Sunshine release which Miller self-produced, included collaborations with
Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto Cash Distin, Johnny Cash's first wife. Although she is often classified as a country art ...
and
Ben Kweller Benjamin Lev Kweller (born June 16, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. A former member of Radish, Kweller has released six solo albums and appeared on several collaborations. Early life Ben Kweller was born in Sa ...
. In 2015, Miller released his sixth solo record, called '' The Traveler,'' on ATO Records. The album was a notable shift for Miller, as he recorded it with a
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
-based bluegrass band called
Black Prairie __NOTOC__ Black Prairie is a six-piece string band from Portland, Oregon. The band formed in early 2007. Their first album, '' Feast of the Hunter's Moon'', was released on April 6, 2010, on the Sugar Hill label. History The band began when Th ...
, which includes members of
The Decemberists The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band consists of Colin Meloy ( lead vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion), Nate ...
. The album also features contributions from
Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his car ...
and
Scott McCaughey Scott Lewis McCaughey is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter and the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5. He was also an auxiliary member of the American rock band R.E.M. from 199 ...
of
R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
In 2018, Miller released ''The Messenger'' on ATO Records.


Writing

Miller has written short stories, essays and articles that have appeared in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
,'' ''
The Baffler ''The Baffler'' is an American magazine of cultural, political, and business analysis. Established in 1988 by editors Thomas Frank and Keith White, it was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, until 2010, when it moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...
,'' ''
Bookforum ''Bookforum'' is an American book review magazine devoted to books and the discussion of literature that was based in New York City, New York. The magazine was founded in 1994 and announced in December of 2022 it would cease publishing after ...
,'' ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
,'' ''
McSweeney’s McSweeney's Publishing is an American non-profit publishing house founded by Dave Eggers in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco. Initially publishing the literary journal'' Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'', the company has moved to n ...
,'' ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
,'' and ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...
.''


Other projects

In addition to his solo work, Miller has worked on various collaborations, including co-writing with other musicians. * 2004: Recorded a version of
Simon and Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...
's "Homeward Bound" for one of MasterCard's "Priceless" advertisements * 2008: Co-produced the first EP, ''No One Will Know'', of New York band
The Spring Standards The Spring Standards is an independent three-piece folk-rock band based in New York City. Biography James Cleare, Heather Robb, and James Smith first sang together in the last summer of the 20th century. Having just turned 16, the three teens ...
* 2009: Appeared as a member of the musical ensemble in the ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...
'' episode '' Kidney Now!'' * 2019: On 1/23/19 Miller announced the 1/24 start of his podcast, ''Wheels Off'', subtitled A Show About the Messy Reality Behind the Creative Life. In partnership with Revoice Media, it's an 11 episode series, each segment features host Miller conversing with musicians, writers, artists, actors, comedians and other creative people about the pivotal moments that shaped their work, what it means to create in a digital age and grappling with the challenges and joys of living a creative life.


Philanthropy

In 2006, Miller and his brother Ross Miller launched the Breathe Easy Concert Series, an annual event in Dallas that raises money for the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure cystic fibrosis (CF) and ensure that those living with CF live long and productive lives. The Foundation prov ...
and awareness about
cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. O ...
. In 2016, Miller appeared as part of the Okay to Say initiative sponsored by the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute in Dallas, which encourages the use of therapy to prevent suicide and address mental health issues. In the campaign, Miller discusses his own suicide attempt when he was 14 years old, and how therapy has helped him over the years. Miller said that
Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...
encouraged him to talk publicly about his sobriety.


Personal life

In 1997, Miller moved from Dallas to Los Angeles. In 2000, he moved to New York City. Miller and then-fiancée lived three blocks south of the
World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
and were home on
9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
. He shared journal writing about their experience, which was published in ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' in September 2011. Miller now lives in the
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
area of New York state. In 2002, Miller married former model Erica Iahn a week after he completed production of ''The Instigator.'' Iahn found out she was pregnant with their first child, Max, while Miller was on tour with
Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
to promote the album. Their daughter, Soleil, was born in the spring of 2006. Miller said he got the nickname "Rhett" because his mother liked
Rhett Butler Rhett Butler (Born in 1828) is a fictional character in the 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind'' by Margaret Mitchell and in the 1939 film adaptation of the same name. It is one of Clark Gable's most recognizable and significant roles. Role Rhe ...
from the movie ''
Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
.''


Discography


Solo albums

* 1989: ''
Mythologies Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
'' (Carpe Diem Records) * 2002: '' The Instigator'' (
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
) * 2006: '' The Believer'' (
Verve Forecast Records Verve Forecast is a record label formed as a division of Verve Records to concentrate on pop, rock, and folk music. Founding Jerry Schoenbaum of Verve and Moe Asch of Folkways created Verve Folkways in 1964 to take advantage of the popularity ...
) * 2009: '' Rhett Miller'' (
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
) * 2011: '' The Interpreter: Live at Largo'' (Maximum Sunshine Records) * 2012: '' The Dreamer'' (Maximum Sunshine Records) * 2015: '' The Traveler'' ( ATO Records) * 2018: '' The Messenger ( ATO Records)'' * 2022: '' The Misfit ( ATO Records)''


Singles


Other contributions

* 2003: ''The Executioner's Last Songs: Volumes 2 & 3'' (
Bloodshot Records Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in alternative country. History Bloodshot Records was founded in 1994 by Nan Warshaw, Rob Miller, and Eric Babcock, who knew each other from jobs ...
) – "
Dang Me "Dang Me" is a song by American country music artist Roger Miller, and 1964's Grammy Award winner for Best Country & Western Song. It was Miller's first chart-topping country hit and first Top Ten pop music hit,Ruhlmann, William. AllMusic.com: ...
" * 2005: ''This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul'' (Razor & Tie) – "Girl (Beatles song), Girl"


Works and publications

''Chronological order'' * * – short story * * * * * * - poetry


References


External links


Rhett Miller

Old 97's
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Rhett 1970 births American alternative country singers American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Elektra Records artists Living people Musicians from Dallas Musicians from Austin, Texas St. Mark's School (Texas) alumni Verve Records artists Wrasse Records artists American country rock singers Singer-songwriters from Texas People from Highland Park, Texas 21st-century American singers Country musicians from Texas 21st-century American male singers