Indiana's State Motto: The Crossroads of America - adopted in 1937
You Are Visitor Number
James Arthur Miller
(ADHB)
Almost Dignified Human Being
Yeah this is me...
When I was 6 weeks old my mother noticed that I always leaned to one side in the child carrier; Riley hospital said I had congenital scoliosis and it didn't look good.
When I was about 4 or 5 my uncle Everett Beasley sponsored me into the Shriner's Hospital for crippled children. As a kid I remember him showing me the crutch pin he received for doing it. Everett is well known in Daviess County; he served as Daviess County Sheriff for 16 years and was also the president of the Indiana Sheriff's Association.
We were living in Bloomington in 1967 when my grandpa, William "Carl" Pruett was killed in an explosion at what was then NAD Crane. This prompted my parents to drop the bar and club scene and move back to Odon. We moved to a little house across from Virgil Flinn near Shiloh, and then to the John McCarter house near Willow Lick and Raglesville.
When I went to 1st grade I started at the Odon Elementary and attended 18 days before we moved to Raglesville. I hadn't been able to attend kindergarten because I had been in the hospital in Saint Louis Missouri. Everett Beasley sold about 25 acres to my parents and we moved to the land of the Amish. At the time we were the only house back in the boonies with electricity. We still had to use an out house. That lasted just one winter and dad put in an indoor toilet.
I attended Raglesville School through the 2nd grade when we were given the option to attend the Odon School instead. I went to Odon School from 3rd to 6th and then went on to graduate at North Daviess High School.
I got married to a Greensburg Indiana girl, Rita Rodenbeck, in 1982 after attending Vincennes University for one year of broadcasting. We had 3 daughters; Tessie born in 1985, Nettie born in 1986. and Halcie born in 1987. I worked for the Navy for 17years at the Crane base in Crane Indiana in a number of jobs, the general public may recognize me from the night vision demonstrations I gave to hundreds of people and school kids.
Now Music...
In September 1972, when I was 9 years old, my parents wanted me to play the snare drum and hi-hat behind them at the Raglesville Ice Cream Social; this was my performance debut. After that I played around with all the locals, Hershel Ferguson, Max Webster, and George Winklepleck to name a few, until I had a feel for the instrument.
When I was 11 years old dad told me that Ol' man Rone in Bloomington had a set of drums for sale for $75.00. I had saved up my money from raising hogs, so dad took me to the Rone's Music Store and I bought a full set of drums. That year, 1974, I got hired as one of the Hoosier Playboys.
The Hoosier Playboys didn't play the way my mom was used to playing - it was a lot more of traditional country music sound than she and dad had played in Bloomington. Mom asked me to play the drums on one song - Rocky Top - at a Ye Opera House show. Jarvis Crays, the leader of the Hoosier Playboys, didn't like the drums and said more than once he wouldn't have any drums in the Hoosier Playboys. But for some strange reason, Jarvis asked me if I would play the whole show? Hello Jarvis? Is that you?
I played the whole show and Jarvis asked me to play the 2nd show too! Then he told me I was welcome to play with them any time. Jarvis didn't want to pay me, but his co-owner of Ye Opera House, Jesse Ellis, began giving me $2 out of his own pocket every night. For a while I was paid $3 and then $5. Jarvis did eventually pay me and I got a good share when we played outside jobs. Eventually I was the highest paid person on the stage - but I was doing a lot of behind the scenes work through the week - like sweeping up trash and cleaning toilets.
The money really wasn't important, the experience and the boost to my self esteem was more than enough for me. I needed it growing up as the crippled kid in my class, success wasn't always as available to me as other kids. When I was 14 I upgraded my drums and I did it again at 18 years old. I was doing a lot of playing with other bands at this time. The Patriots had some jobs to do in Nashville Tennessee and they asked me to go along and do some shows for them. We played at Centennial Park and for the warm-up show of the Midnight Jamboree broadcast live by WSM radio from Ernest Tubb's Record Shop. They did the Ralph Emery TV Show with Lori Morgan.
During the 1980's I played with several bands; Family Tradition; JL Express, Branded, The Bashful, Southern Reign, Stone Mountain Country, Outlaw Blues, and White Oak. In the 1990's I played in the Wrexx, Rebel Storm, and the Cornerstone Music Ministry.
Through all my years of playing, I have worked with: Joe and Rose Lee Maphis, the man known for playing guitar in the theme song to the TV show Bonanza; Old Joe Clark from Renfro Valley; Ramona Jones - Grampa's wife; David Allen Coe; Tracy Byrd; Sammy Kershaw; Lori Morgan; Bobby Helms; Larry Rollins; Diamond Rio; Billy "Crash" Craddock; Johnny Russell; The Lewis Family; The Whites; Benny Martin; and others you are not familiar with like Ray Pillow who wrote articles for Country Song Round Up.
I began writing songs when I was 16 years old, but could not write the music. This lead me to learn to play the guitar, but not for another 4 years. I decided I was going to learn guitar at 20 years old, I had already picked up the bass guitar and thought guitar would just be 2 more strings.
At about the age of 40 I decided to get back to my roots and began playing dulcimer and mandolin a little. It was when I got a hold of a square neck slide resonator lap style guitar that I found my new instrument of choice. The "Dobro®" as some call it, is what folks is apt to see me playing in the future. That's about all I got to say about that.
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Here is a couple of MP3 songs I have written and produced back in the 1980's -1990's:
This is a Windows Media Audio File:
I am playing every instrument and singing every part in all of these recordings. The only exceptions are my dad playing fiddle on Dog is Man's Best Friend, and my dog Doofus is doing the singing dog part.
This information is the research of many people across the United States and may contain errors. It is presented as the best information to date. Like all of those whose work I have incorporated herein, my research is a work in progress and subject to change without notice. A special thanks to Marlene Ricci of CA, Dwayne Meyer of CA, Jacqueline Bean of TX, Debbie Dick of IN, Milus Miller of IL, Carol Hendricks Miller of IN, Clarence Miller of IN, and Harold Glen Miller of IN. There are numerous others too; many of which are unknown, but their findings and stories are still much appreciated. Much of this would not have been possible with out their information. Also this website includes historical facts gathered from Washington County History, Indiana History, Rowan County and Salisbury North Carolina Historical sources and other US Historical sources.
James A. Miller- Great -Great -Great -Great Grandson of Adam Miller and Hannah Sheets.
©2007 The Millers of Washington County
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Last Updated 06/04/07 03:54:47 PM -0700