Career
Little-remembered today, Miller was a major influence on many country music singers, including Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Milton Brown, Tommy Duncan, and Merle Haggard. His music bridges a gap between old-time Southern music, minstrelsy, jazz, and western swing. Miller was born February 2, 1900 in Macon, Georgia.
Though his early life is largely undocumented, it is generally acknowledged that he was performing in minstrel shows by his early twenties.
In 1924, his first recordings appeared on the Okeh label. His backup group - The Georgia Crackers - included noted jazz musicians Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, and Eddie Language.
He continued to perform in minstrel shows well into his fifties, long after they fell out of fashion. Finally returning to Macon, he died there in 1962 and was buried in Fort Hill Cemetery.
Merle Haggard, Van Dyke Parks, Ry Cooder, Leon Redbone, Louis Prima, Van Halen and their frontman David Lee Roth have all recorded Emmett Miller songs.
