Frankie Miller
Encyclopedia
Frankie Miller is a Scottish
rock
singer-songwriter
, who had his biggest success in the 1970s. Miller was raised at Colvend Street, Glasgow
with his parents, Cathy and Frank, and elder sisters Letty and Anne. Miller attended Sacred Heart Primary school. He was an altar boy
in Sacred Heart Chapel. He also played football for the school team and Harmony Row Boys Club, his love of football was probably inherited from his maternal grandfather Archie Kyle
who was one of the first Catholic football players signed to Glasgow Rangers FC.
Miller wrote for and performed with many recording artists and is best known for his album Full House
, the single "Darlin’ " and his duet on "Still in Love with You
", with Phil Lynott
. In an article published in Rolling Stone
magazine in 1978 Bob Seger
remarked that Miller "was a huge influence" on him.
and R&B
through his mother’s record collection. She had a fondness for Ray Charles
while his sisters introduced him to Little Richard
and Elvis Presley
. He identified instinctively with Little Richard’s flamboyant aggression, once saying "The music was alive, exciting, I loved it. I realised later that I could get my own aggression out through music. R&B and Soul Music, I just knew was what I really loved". He started writing songs at the age of nine after being given a guitar by his parents and wrote "I Can't Change It" when he was twelve years old, this song was later recorded by Ray Charles. Whilst still at school Miller began singing with The Deljacks, West Farm Cottage and then a soul outfit called Sock It To 'Em JB which featured good friend Jimmy Dewar
band
called The Stoics. In mid 1971, he moved to London
to further his career. In 1971, he joined forces with the guitarist
Robin Trower
, who had just left Procol Harum
and was looking to put together a new band. Miller introduced fellow Glaswegian bassist
and vocalist James Dewar
to Trower and the three of them, along with ex Jethro Tull
drummer Clive Bunker
, formed Jude in July 1971, but despite significant coverage in the British music press
, they broke up in April 1972 without recording an album. The Miller and Trower composition "I Can't Wait Much Longer" later appeared on Trower's first solo album Twice Removed from Yesterday
.
with Chrysalis Records
, and recorded his first LP
Once in a Blue Moon, with record producer
Dave Robinson. The album was an early example of pub rock
, and featured backing by the pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz
. Miller received consistently good reviews, although his singles
and albums were not chart
hits
, Chrysalis
continued to invest in his talent. In 1974 Miller sang "Still in Love with You
", as a duet
with Phil Lynott
; the song appeared on the Thin Lizzy
album, Nightlife
. Miller's second album High Life
, was written and produced
by Allen Toussaint
and recorded in New Orleans
during 1974. Although two album tracks, "Shoorah Shoorah" and "Play Something Sweet", subsequently provided hits for Betty Wright
and Three Dog Night
respectively, the album was not a commercial success.
. The next album Full House
(1977), was produced by Chris Thomas
. The lead off track "Be Good To Yourself" became Miller's first UK
Top 40 hit, peaking at #27 in the UK Singles Chart
during June that year. In 1978 Miller hit the UK Top 10 with the song "Darlin’ ", which peaked at #6 on 14 October 1978. "Darlin’ " also made the Billboard
"Bubbling Under" chart in the US
, peaking at #103. The next single penned by Miller "When I'm Away From You" rose to #42 in UK, but failed to chart in US. A few years later, the song became a US Country #1 hit for The Bellamy Brothers.
, recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
, in Alabama and released on Capitol Records
, Miller concentrated on songwriting. The Bellamy Brothers follow up, co-written with Miller, titled "Forget About Me", peaked at #5 in the US country chart. Miller's songs have earned him many songwriting awards and have been covered
by artistes such as Johnny Cash
, Ray Charles
, Rod Stewart
, The Bellamy Brothers, Kim Carnes
, Waylon Jennings
, Bob Seger
, Bonnie Tyler
, Roy Orbison
, Etta James
, Joe Cocker
, Joe Walsh
and The Eagles.
" (1992) written by fellow Scotsman, Dougie MacLean
. The same year he also co-wrote the award-winning song, "Burn One Down", with Clint Black
, which reached #4 in the US chart.
A Sense of Freedom
, as well as performing on them. He diversified into acting
. During 1979 Miller starred in Peter McDougall
's TV
film, Just a Boys' Game
, directed by John Mackenzie. Further to this success he was offered further acting roles but declined, in order to focus on songwriting.
In 1983 Miller sang the closing track, "Blue Skies Forever", on the Tom Cruise
movie All The Right Moves
. "Danger Danger" penned by Miller features in the 1985 movie "Thunder Alley" performed by Leif Garrett
.
In 1986 Miller wrote and sang the opening and closing songs in Act of Vengeance, which starred Charles Bronson
, and his song "It's All Coming Down Tonight" sung by Joan Jett
and Michael J. Fox
, appeared on the 1987 film Light of Day
. "I'd Lie To You For Your Love" written by Miller and Jeff Barry
, and performed by Sally Kellerman
, appeared in the You Can't Hurry Love
film in 1988. "The Boys & The Girls Are Doing It", sung by Vital Signs and written by Miller and Barry, appeared in the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
. Miller wrote and performed "Where Do The Guilty Go" for the film Ad Fundum
in 1993. Miller's version of "Danger Danger" appeared in the 2002 film, Super Sucker
.
Miller's song "I Can't Change It" was on the UK TV drama series Cracker
and Life on Mars
plus the accompanying soundtrack album. "Guilty Of The Crime", which Miller wrote with the late Jerry Lynn Williams, featured on the television show RoboCop: The Series
, and was later recorded by The Eagles on their album Long Road Out Of Eden
. "Sending Me Angels" penned by Miller and Jerry Lynn Williams appeared several times in an episode of The Defenders
, in which Jim Belushi closes the show performing the song on a grand piano.
"After All (I Live My Life)", which was co-written by Miller/Doris and performed by Miller , appears as the closing song in the Johnny Depp
movie, The Rum Diary
(2011).
on 25 August 1994, while writing material for a new band he and Joe Walsh
of The Eagles had formed with Nicky Hopkins
and Ian Wallace
. Miller spent five months in a coma
, after which he went through rehabilitation
. The BBC Television
documentary Stubborn Kinda Fella (1999), featured Miller and his battle to recover. In this documentary, Rod Stewart stated that Miller "was the only white singer to have brought a tear to his eye." In 1998, Miller's collaboration with Will Jennings
, "The Sun Goes Up the Sun Comes Down", was performed by Bonnie Tyler, Paul Carrack
and Jools Holland
at a charity concert for the disabled held in Edinburgh
.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, who had his biggest success in the 1970s. Miller was raised at Colvend Street, Glasgow
Bridgeton, Glasgow
Bridgeton is a district to the east side of Glasgow city centre. It is bounded by Glasgow Green to the west, Dalmarnock to the east and south and Calton to the north-west at Abercromby Street/ London Road...
with his parents, Cathy and Frank, and elder sisters Letty and Anne. Miller attended Sacred Heart Primary school. He was an altar boy
Altar server
An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian religious service. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell and so on....
in Sacred Heart Chapel. He also played football for the school team and Harmony Row Boys Club, his love of football was probably inherited from his maternal grandfather Archie Kyle
Archie Kyle
Archibald "Archie" Kyle was a former Scottish footballer. He played with Rangers, Blackburn Rovers and Hamilton Academical....
who was one of the first Catholic football players signed to Glasgow Rangers FC.
Miller wrote for and performed with many recording artists and is best known for his album Full House
Full House (Frankie Miller album)
Full House is an album by Frankie Miller.An album combined with Miller originals and choice covers, including an anguished and heartbroken version of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", that deservedly received commercial success together with the Andy Fraser composition "Be Good to Yourself" reaching No...
, the single "Darlin’ " and his duet on "Still in Love with You
Still in Love with You (Thin Lizzy song)
"Still in Love with You" is a song originally recorded by Thin Lizzy, first released on their 1974 album Nightlife, and later released on the live albums Live and Dangerous, Life, BBC Radio One Live in Concert, The Peel Sessions and One Night Only...
", with Phil Lynott
Phil Lynott
Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
. In an article published in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine in 1978 Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
remarked that Miller "was a huge influence" on him.
Early days
He first became aware of rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
through his mother’s record collection. She had a fondness for Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
while his sisters introduced him to Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. He identified instinctively with Little Richard’s flamboyant aggression, once saying "The music was alive, exciting, I loved it. I realised later that I could get my own aggression out through music. R&B and Soul Music, I just knew was what I really loved". He started writing songs at the age of nine after being given a guitar by his parents and wrote "I Can't Change It" when he was twelve years old, this song was later recorded by Ray Charles. Whilst still at school Miller began singing with The Deljacks, West Farm Cottage and then a soul outfit called Sock It To 'Em JB which featured good friend Jimmy Dewar
1964-1972
Miller began singing professionally as a teenager with a GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
called The Stoics. In mid 1971, he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to further his career. In 1971, he joined forces with the guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Robin Trower
Robin Trower
Robin Leonard Trower , known professionally as Robin Trower, is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum during the 1960s, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio.-Biography:...
, who had just left Procol Harum
Procol Harum
Procol Harum are a British rock band, formed in 1967, which contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock. Their best-known recording is their 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale"...
and was looking to put together a new band. Miller introduced fellow Glaswegian bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
and vocalist James Dewar
James Dewar (rock vocalist)
James Dewar was a Scottish bassist and vocalist for the Robin Trower Band and Stone The Crows, the latter having its beginnings as the resident band at the legendary Burns Howff in Glasgow.-Biography:...
to Trower and the three of them, along with ex Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
drummer Clive Bunker
Clive Bunker
Clive William Bunker is a British rock drummer. He was the original drummer in the British band Jethro Tull....
, formed Jude in July 1971, but despite significant coverage in the British music press
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, they broke up in April 1972 without recording an album. The Miller and Trower composition "I Can't Wait Much Longer" later appeared on Trower's first solo album Twice Removed from Yesterday
Twice Removed from Yesterday
Twice Removed from Yesterday is guitarist and songwriter Robin Trower's first solo album. It was released in 1973. Cover art is by "Funky" Paul Olsen...
.
1972-1974
Later in 1972, Miller signed a solo recording contractRecording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
, and recorded his first LP
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Once in a Blue Moon, with record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Dave Robinson. The album was an early example of pub rock
Pub rock (UK)
Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...
, and featured backing by the pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lodge.-Formation:...
. Miller received consistently good reviews, although his singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and albums were not chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, Chrysalis
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
continued to invest in his talent. In 1974 Miller sang "Still in Love with You
Still in Love with You (Thin Lizzy song)
"Still in Love with You" is a song originally recorded by Thin Lizzy, first released on their 1974 album Nightlife, and later released on the live albums Live and Dangerous, Life, BBC Radio One Live in Concert, The Peel Sessions and One Night Only...
", as a duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with Phil Lynott
Phil Lynott
Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
; the song appeared on the Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
album, Nightlife
Nightlife (Thin Lizzy album)
Nightlife is the fourth studio album by Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1974, and produced by Ron Nevison and Phil Lynott. The album cover shows a panther-like creature in a city scene, and the panther was intended to represent Lynott....
. Miller's second album High Life
High Life (Frankie Miller album)
High Life is the second album by Frankie Miller.With Chrysalis Records willing to speculate in matching up Miller's vocal talents with hitmaking talent, they commissioned Miller's second album to be produced by Allen Toussaint who also composed seven songs on the album. Toussaint's production...
, was written and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
and recorded in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
during 1974. Although two album tracks, "Shoorah Shoorah" and "Play Something Sweet", subsequently provided hits for Betty Wright
Betty Wright
Bessie Regina Norris, better known by her stage name, Betty Wright , is a Grammy winning Miami-based soul and R&B singer-songwriter, who won fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night"...
and Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
respectively, the album was not a commercial success.
1975-1978
Miller's next album The Rock (1975) was recorded in San Francisco using the producer Elliot Mazer, who had co-produced Harvest for Neil YoungNeil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. The next album Full House
Full House (Frankie Miller album)
Full House is an album by Frankie Miller.An album combined with Miller originals and choice covers, including an anguished and heartbroken version of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", that deservedly received commercial success together with the Andy Fraser composition "Be Good to Yourself" reaching No...
(1977), was produced by Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas (record producer)
Chris Thomas is an English record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.Thomas is quoted as saying -Early life:Thomas was...
. The lead off track "Be Good To Yourself" became Miller's first UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Top 40 hit, peaking at #27 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
during June that year. In 1978 Miller hit the UK Top 10 with the song "Darlin’ ", which peaked at #6 on 14 October 1978. "Darlin’ " also made the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
"Bubbling Under" chart in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, peaking at #103. The next single penned by Miller "When I'm Away From You" rose to #42 in UK, but failed to chart in US. A few years later, the song became a US Country #1 hit for The Bellamy Brothers.
Song writing and further recognition
After the release of Standing on the Edge, which was produced by Barry BeckettBarry Beckett
Barry Edward Beckett was a keyboardist who worked as a session musician with several notable artists on their studio albums...
, recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was formed in Muscle Shoals, Alabama,in 1969 when musicians Barry Beckett , Roger Hawkins , Jimmy Johnson and David Hood left FAME Studios to create their own studio...
, in Alabama and released on Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, Miller concentrated on songwriting. The Bellamy Brothers follow up, co-written with Miller, titled "Forget About Me", peaked at #5 in the US country chart. Miller's songs have earned him many songwriting awards and have been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by artistes such as Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, The Bellamy Brothers, Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes is an American singer-songwriter. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner noted for her distinctive raspy vocal style. Some people have called her "The Female Rod Stewart" due to her raspy voice....
, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
and The Eagles.
Chart success and Clint Black
After a long absence from the charts, Miller scored a hit in his native Scotland with the track "CaledoniaCaledonia (song)
Caledonia is a modern Scottish folk ballad written by Dougie MacLean somewhere between 1974 and 1977. and published in 1979 on an album of the same name. The chorus features the lyrics "Caledonia, you're calling me, and now I'm going home". MacLean plays the song in the key of E using Open C tuning...
" (1992) written by fellow Scotsman, Dougie MacLean
Dougie MacLean
Dougie MacLean OBE is a Scottish singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist.His career started with a traditional band, The Tannahill Weavers, in 1976. His solo career started in 1981 and since then he has recorded numerous albums...
. The same year he also co-wrote the award-winning song, "Burn One Down", with Clint Black
Clint Black
Clint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
, which reached #4 in the US chart.
Film music and acting
During 1979 Miller wrote the opening and closing songs on the filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
A Sense of Freedom
A Sense of Freedom
A Sense of Freedom is a 1979 Scottish crime film directed by John Mackenzie for Scottish Television. The film starred David Hayman and featured Hector Nicol & Fulton Mackay, is a based on the autobiography of Glasgow gangster Jimmy Boyle, who was reputed to be Scotland's most violent man...
, as well as performing on them. He diversified into acting
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. During 1979 Miller starred in Peter McDougall
Peter McDougall
Peter McDougall is a BAFTA and Prix Italia award winning television playwright whose major success was in the 1970s....
's TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
film, Just a Boys' Game
Just a Boys' Game
Just a Boys' Game is a 1979 Play for Today written by Peter McDougall and directed by John Mackenzie.It features Frankie Miller, Gregor Fisher, Ken Hutchison and Hector Nicol....
, directed by John Mackenzie. Further to this success he was offered further acting roles but declined, in order to focus on songwriting.
In 1983 Miller sang the closing track, "Blue Skies Forever", on the Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
movie All The Right Moves
All the Right Moves
All the Right Moves is a 1983 drama film directed by Michael Chapman and starring Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Chris Penn, and Gary Graham...
. "Danger Danger" penned by Miller features in the 1985 movie "Thunder Alley" performed by Leif Garrett
Leif Garrett
Leif Garrett is an American singer and actor. He became famous in the late 1970s as a teen idol, but received much publicity in later life for his drug abuse and legal troubles.-Early life:...
.
In 1986 Miller wrote and sang the opening and closing songs in Act of Vengeance, which starred Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
, and his song "It's All Coming Down Tonight" sung by Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
and Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
, appeared on the 1987 film Light of Day
Light of Day
The soundtrack to the film was released in 1987. As a single, "Light of Day" reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received additional album-oriented rock airplay due to the connection of Joan Jett and Bruce Springsteen....
. "I'd Lie To You For Your Love" written by Miller and Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...
, and performed by Sally Kellerman
Sally Kellerman
Sally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
, appeared in the You Can't Hurry Love
You Can't Hurry Love (film)
You Can't Hurry Love is a 1988 comedy film written and directed by Richard Martini. A guy who moonlights as a low-budget director of commercials is looking for someone to love, so he pays a dating service and is videotaped on several occasions...
film in 1988. "The Boys & The Girls Are Doing It", sung by Vital Signs and written by Miller and Barry, appeared in the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 American science fiction–comedy buddy film and the first film in the Bill & Ted franchise in which two metalhead slackers travel through time to assemble a menagerie of historical figures for their high school history presentation.The film was written by...
. Miller wrote and performed "Where Do The Guilty Go" for the film Ad Fundum
Ad Fundum
Ad Fundum is a 1993 Belgian drama film directed by Erik Van Looy. It tells the story of some students studying at the university of Leuven, and who participate in some initiation rites. The main characters are freshmen at the University of Leuven and join a "fraternity" otherwise known as a student...
in 1993. Miller's version of "Danger Danger" appeared in the 2002 film, Super Sucker
Super Sucker
Super Sucker is a 2003 film featuring Jeff Daniels, Harve Presnell, and Kate Peckham.Filmed in Jackson, Michigan, Daniels and Presnell play Fred Barlow and Winslow Schnaebelt, the heads of two different groups of door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesmen who are competing for the same territory. Their...
.
Miller's song "I Can't Change It" was on the UK TV drama series Cracker
Cracker (UK TV series)
Cracker is a British crime drama series produced by Granada Television for ITV and created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. The series is centered on a criminal psychologist , Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, played by Robbie Coltrane. Set in Manchester, it consists of three series which were...
and Life on Mars
Life on Mars (TV series)
Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
plus the accompanying soundtrack album. "Guilty Of The Crime", which Miller wrote with the late Jerry Lynn Williams, featured on the television show RoboCop: The Series
RoboCop: The Series
RoboCop: The Series is a 1994 television series based on the film of the same name. It stars Richard Eden as the title character. Made to appeal primarily to children and young teenagers, it lacks the graphic violence that was the hallmark of RoboCop and RoboCop 2...
, and was later recorded by The Eagles on their album Long Road Out Of Eden
Long Road Out of Eden
Long Road Out of Eden is the seventh studio album by American rock band Eagles, released in 2007 on Lost Highway Records. Nearly six years in production, Long Road Out of Eden is the first studio album from the Eagles since 1979's The Long Run, and along with the four original tracks on 1994 Hell...
. "Sending Me Angels" penned by Miller and Jerry Lynn Williams appeared several times in an episode of The Defenders
The Defenders (2010 TV series)
The Defenders is a 2010 American legal comedy-drama that was ordered to series by CBS for the 2010–11 television season. The series originally ran from September 22, 2010 to March 11, 2011....
, in which Jim Belushi closes the show performing the song on a grand piano.
"After All (I Live My Life)", which was co-written by Miller/Doris and performed by Miller , appears as the closing song in the Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
movie, The Rum Diary
The Rum Diary (film)
The Rum Diary is a 2011 film based on the novel of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson. The film is directed by Bruce Robinson and stars Johnny Depp. Filming began in Puerto Rico in March 2009...
(2011).
Illness and recovery
Miller suffered a brain haemorrhage in New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 25 August 1994, while writing material for a new band he and Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
of The Eagles had formed with Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
and Ian Wallace
Ian Wallace (drummer)
Ian Russell Wallace was a rock and jazz drummer, most visible as a member of progressive rock band, King Crimson from 1971 to 1972; but known best in the musical community with his contributions as a session musician on his drum kit.-Early years:Wallace formed his first band, The Jaguars, at...
. Miller spent five months in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
, after which he went through rehabilitation
Stroke rehabilitation
The primary goals of stroke management are to reduce brain injury and promote maximum patient recovery. Rapid detection and appropriate emergency medical care are essential for optimizing health outcomes. When available, patients are admitted to an acute stroke unit for treatment. These units...
. The BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
documentary Stubborn Kinda Fella (1999), featured Miller and his battle to recover. In this documentary, Rod Stewart stated that Miller "was the only white singer to have brought a tear to his eye." In 1998, Miller's collaboration with Will Jennings
Will Jennings
Wilbur H. "Will" Jennings is an American songwriter who is popularly known for writing the lyrics for "My Heart Will Go On", the theme for the film Titanic .-Life and education:...
, "The Sun Goes Up the Sun Comes Down", was performed by Bonnie Tyler, Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...
and Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
at a charity concert for the disabled held in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Albums
- Once in a Blue MoonOnce in a Blue Moon (Frankie Miller album)Once In A Blue Moon is the debut solo album by Frankie Miller, utilising Brinsley Schwarz as his backing band, showcases Miller's skills as a singer and songwriter...
(January 1973) - High LifeHigh Life (Frankie Miller album)High Life is the second album by Frankie Miller.With Chrysalis Records willing to speculate in matching up Miller's vocal talents with hitmaking talent, they commissioned Miller's second album to be produced by Allen Toussaint who also composed seven songs on the album. Toussaint's production...
(January 1974) - The Rock (September 1975)
- Full HouseFull House (Frankie Miller album)Full House is an album by Frankie Miller.An album combined with Miller originals and choice covers, including an anguished and heartbroken version of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", that deservedly received commercial success together with the Andy Fraser composition "Be Good to Yourself" reaching No...
(June 1977) - Double TroubleDouble Trouble (Frankie Miller album)Double Trouble delivers a selection of originals and standards with powerful playing and singing with Miller yet again being compared with the likes of Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Rod Stewart...
(April 1978) - Falling In Love (January 1979) (issued in the USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as A Perfect Fit) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#54 - Easy Money (July 1980)
- Standing on the Edge (June 1982)
- Dancing in the Rain (April 1986)
- The Very Best of Frankie Miller (March 1994)
- BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (April 1994)
- Long Way Home (2006)
- Frankie Miller That's Who (boxset) (May 2011)
Chart singles
- "Be Good To Yourself" (May 1977) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#27 - "Darlin’ " (October 1978) - UK #6
- "When I'm Away from You" (January 1979) - UK #42
- "Caledonia" (March 1992) - UK #45