Background
Miller, Jody was born on November 29, 1941 in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.
Miller, Jody was born on November 29, 1941 in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.
Born Myrna Joy Miller, in Phoenix, Arizona, she was raised in Blanchard, Oklahoma, the youngest of five sisters. Discovered by actor Dale Robertson, she began her career in the early 1960s as a folk/popular singer, singing in the Los Angeles area and appearing on Tom Paxton"s television series. She released her first album on Capitol Records in 1964 and had a modest popular hit that year with "He Walks Like a Manitoba".
Since the Festival was created as a composers" competition, Miller and Donaggio presented differently arranged versions of the entry "Io Che Non Vivo (Senza Te)".
The song came in on # 7 and was only a moderate hit until Dusty Springfield recorded an English version in 1966 which was eventually released as "You Don"t Have to Say You Love Maine". Also in 1965, Jody Miller released an answer record to Roger Miller"s blockbuster hit "King of the Road", titled "Queen of the House" (which became her signature hit, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 5 on the country singles chart).
Miller scored a second top 40 popular hit that year with "Home of the Brave", a Number. 25 Hot 100 hit that was historically significant for tackling the issue of noncomformity and tolerance.
The theme prevented it from making headway in the more socially conservative country charts of 1965.
By the mid-1960s, Miller became a pioneer crossover female vocalist, opening the doors for Linda Ronstadt, Anne Murray, and Olivia Newton-John, and others as a popular singer recording a strong country influence and finding success in both genres. Miller"s popular success petered out by the late 1960s. Tammy Wynette"s record producer, Billy Sherrill, was a fan of Miller.
He signed her to Epic Records in 1970 to record specifically for the country market.
She had two country hits right off the bat in 1970 with "Look At Mine" nearly making the Top 20 and a Top 20 hit with "If You Think I Love You Now (I Just Started)" in early 1971. She recorded a remake of the Chiffons 1963 hit "He"s So Fine", which hit the top 5 on the country chart and Number.
55 on the popular chart that summer, garnering another Grammy award nomination. Several major country hits followed, many of them remakes of popular/rock classics such as "Baby I"m Yours," "Be My Baby," and "To Know Him is to Love Him".
Among the new country songs she had hits with were the top tens "There"s a Party Goin" On," "Good News," and "Darling, You Can Always Come Back Home." She also continued to have hits with cover versions of popular hits like "House of the Rising Sun", a hit for The Animals, "Reflections" (different from the Diana Ross and the Supremes hit), and "(You Make Maine Feel Like) A Natural Woman", an Aretha Franklin hit.
Miller"s last top 30 country hit was 1977"s "When the New Wears Office Our Love" and two years later she made her final chart appearance. In 1999, the Country Gospel Music Association inducted Miller into its Hall of Fame, along with Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Andy Griffith, David L. Cook and Lulu Roman. Miller continues to perform live and sings her secular hits as well as her gospel material.
1 child, Robin.