Jody Miller
Encyclopedia
Jody Brooks is an American
country music
singer. Born as Myrna Joy Miller, she was born in Phoenix, Arizona
and raised in Oklahoma
.
, she began her career in the early 1960s as a folk
/pop 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 pop hit that year with "He Walks Like a Man".
In 1965, she participated in the San Remo Festival as a team companion of Pino Donaggio
. 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 Me
". 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 won the Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the song in 1966.
Miller also scored a second top 40 pop hit that year with "Home of the Brave", a #25 Hot 100 hit that was historically significant for tackling the issue of noncomformity and tolerance. Ahead of its time, its theme prevented it from making any headway on the more 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 pop singer recording a strong country influence and finding success in both genres. Miller's pop success petered out by the late 1960s. Tammy Wynette
's record producer, Billy Sherrill
, was a fan of Miller's and 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 '60's pop hit (by the Chiffons
), "He's So Fine
," and it hit the top 5 on the country chart and #55 on the pop chart that summer. She was nominated for another Grammy award.
Several major country hits followed, many of them remakes of pop/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 pop hits like "House of the Rising Sun", a hit for The Animals
, "Reflections
," this is not the hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes, and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
", an Aretha Franklin
hit.
Miller's last top 30 country hit was 1977's "When the New Wears Off Our Love" and two years later she made her final chart appearance. She went into semi-retirement in the 1980s, at which time she and her husband owned a ranch in Oklahoma
.
She later emerged as a Christian music
artist, releasing several albums. 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
. For a short while Jody and her daughter Robin recorded and toured together. She continues to perform live and sings her secular hits as well as her gospel material.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer. Born as Myrna Joy Miller, she was born in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
and raised in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Career
Discovered by actor Dale RobertsonDale Robertson
Dayle Lymoine "Dale" Robertson is an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the role of Jim Hardie in the TV series, Tales of Wells Fargo, and the owner of an incomplete railroad line in ABC's The Iron Horse, often appearing as the deceptively thoughtful but...
, she began her career in the early 1960s as a folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
/pop singer
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, singing in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area and appearing on Tom Paxton
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
's television series. She released her first album 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...
in 1964 and had a modest pop hit that year with "He Walks Like a Man".
In 1965, she participated in the San Remo Festival as a team companion of Pino Donaggio
Pino Donaggio
Giuseppe "Pino" Donaggio is an Italian composer.Born in Burano , into a family of musicians, Donaggio began studying violin at the age of ten, first at the Benedetto Marcello conservatory in Venice, followed by the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan...
. 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
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
recorded an English version in 1966 which was eventually released as "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" is the title of a 1966 hit recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield which proved to be her career record reaching #1 UK and #4 US: the song subsequently charted in the UK via remakes by Elvis Presley , Guys 'n' Dolls and Denise Welch with Presley's version...
". Also in 1965, Jody Miller released an answer record to Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
's blockbuster hit "King of the Road
King of the Road (song)
"King of the Road" is a 1964 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller.The lyrics tell of a hobo who despite being poor revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously as the "king of the road"...
", titled "Queen of the House" (which became her signature hit, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and at number 5 on the country singles chart). Miller won the Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the song in 1966.
Miller also scored a second top 40 pop hit that year with "Home of the Brave", a #25 Hot 100 hit that was historically significant for tackling the issue of noncomformity and tolerance. Ahead of its time, its theme prevented it from making any headway on the more conservative country charts of 1965. By the mid 1960s, Miller became a pioneer crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
female vocalist, opening the doors for Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
, and Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, and others as a pop singer recording a strong country influence and finding success in both genres. Miller's pop success petered out by the late 1960s. Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
's record producer, Billy Sherrill
Billy Sherrill
Billy Sherrill is a record producer and arranger who is most famous for his association with a number of country artists, most notably Tammy Wynette...
, was a fan of Miller's and signed her to Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
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 '60's pop hit (by the Chiffons
The Chiffons
The Chiffons was an all girl group originating from the Bronx area of New York in 1960.-Biography:The Chiffons were one of the top girl groups of the early 1960s...
), "He's So Fine
He's So Fine
"He's So Fine" is a recording by The Chiffons which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in the spring of 1963. One of the most instantly recognizable Golden Oldies with its doo-lang doo-lang doo-lang background vocal, "He's So Fine" is also renowned as the plaintiff song in the now-infamous...
," and it hit the top 5 on the country chart and #55 on the pop chart that summer. She was nominated for another Grammy award.
Several major country hits followed, many of them remakes of pop/rock classics such as "Baby I'm Yours," "Be My Baby
Be My Baby
"Be My Baby" is a 1963 single written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich, performed by The Ronettes and produced by Spector. When released as a single, the song reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Singles Chart and #4 on the UK's Record Retailer...
," 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 pop hits like "House of the Rising Sun", a hit for The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, "Reflections
Reflections
Reflections may refer to:*Reflections, Lubbock Christian University's alumni publication*Reflections , a British drama film*Reflections , a Yugoslavian film*Reflections , a British documentary film...
," this is not the hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes, and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
(You Make Me Feel like) a Natural Woman
" A Natural Woman" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin on the Atlantic label. The record was a big hit for Franklin, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became a standard song for her...
", an Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
hit.
Miller's last top 30 country hit was 1977's "When the New Wears Off Our Love" and two years later she made her final chart appearance. She went into semi-retirement in the 1980s, at which time she and her husband owned a ranch in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
She later emerged as a Christian music
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
artist, releasing several albums. In 1999, the Country Gospel Music Association inducted Miller into its Hall of Fame, along with Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
, Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
, Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
, David L. Cook
David L. Cook
David L. Cook is an American Christian country music singer-songwriter, comedian and a multiple Emmy Award and Telly Award winner. Born to Donnell and June Cook , David is the oldest of six children....
and Lulu Roman
Lulu Roman
Lulu Roman is a former telephone operator and go-go dancer turned comedian and singer. She is probably best known as a regular on the comedy-music television series Hee Haw....
. For a short while Jody and her daughter Robin recorded and toured together. She continues to perform live and sings her secular hits as well as her gospel material.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| 1963 | Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe | — | — | Capitol |
| 1965 | Queen of the House | 17 | 124 | Capitol |
| Home of the Brave | — | — | ||
| 1966 | Jody Miller Sings the Great Hits of Buck Owens | — | — | |
| 1968 | The Nashville Sound of Jody Miller | 42 | — | |
| 1970 | Look at Mine | 20 | — | Epic |
| 1971 | He's So Fine | 12 | 117 | |
| 1972 | There's a Party Goin' on | 29 | — | |
| 1973 | The Best of Jody Miller | 41 | — | Capitol |
| Good News | 18 | — | Epic | |
| 1974 | House of the Rising Sun | 30 | — | |
| 1975 | Country Girl | 49 | — | |
| 1976 | Will You Love Me Tomorrow | — | — | |
| 1977 | Here's Jody | — | — | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
CAN Country | CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1964 | "He Walks Like a Man" | — | 66 | — | — | — | — | Queen of the House |
| 1965 | "Queen of the House" | 5 | 12 | 4 | — | — | — | |
| "Silver Threads and Golden Needles Silver Threads and Golden Needles "Silver Threads and Golden Needles", a song written by Jack Rhodes and Dick Reynolds, was first recorded by Wanda Jackson in 1956. The original lyrics, as performed by Jackson, contain a verse not usually included in later versions, which also often differed in other minor details.-Other versions:*... " |
— | 54 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Home of the Brave" | — | 25 | — | — | 5 | — | Home of the Brave | |
| Magic Town | — | 125 | — | — | - | — | ||
| 1968 | "Long Black Limousine" | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | The Nashville Sound of Jody Miller |
| 1970 | "Look at Mine" | 21 | — | — | 26 | — | — | Look at Mine |
| "If You Think I Love You" | 19 | — | — | 29 | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "He's So Fine He's So Fine "He's So Fine" is a recording by The Chiffons which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in the spring of 1963. One of the most instantly recognizable Golden Oldies with its doo-lang doo-lang doo-lang background vocal, "He's So Fine" is also renowned as the plaintiff song in the now-infamous... " |
5 | 53 | 2 | 3 | 46 | 1 | He's So Fine |
| "Baby I'm Yours" | 5 | 91 | 21 | 8 | — | 25 | ||
| 1972 | "Be My Baby Be My Baby "Be My Baby" is a 1963 single written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich, performed by The Ronettes and produced by Spector. When released as a single, the song reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Singles Chart and #4 on the UK's Record Retailer... " |
15 | — | 35 | 11 | — | — | There's a Party Goin' on |
| "Let's All Go Down to the River" (w/ Johnny Paycheck Johnny Paycheck Johnny Paycheck was the legal name of Donald Eugene Lytle , a country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member most famous for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It"... ) |
13 | — | — | 18 | — | — | ||
| "There's a Party Goin' On There's a Party Goin' On "There's a Party Goin' On" is a single by American country music artist Jody Miller. Released in May 1972, it was the third single from her album There's a Party Goin' On. The song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks... " |
4 | 115 | 23 | 1 | — | 20 | ||
| "To Know Him Is to Love Him To Know Him Is to Love Him "To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on his father's tombstone. It was first recorded by his first vocal group, the only one of which he was a member, the Teddy Bears. Their recording went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1958... " |
18 | — | — | 12 | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "Good News" | 9 | — | — | 9 | — | — | Good Knews |
| "Darlin', You Can Always Come Back Home" | 5 | — | — | 3 | — | — | ||
| "House of the Rising Sun" | 29 | — | 41 | 23 | — | 81 | House of the Rising Sun | |
| 1974 | "Reflections" | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel like) a Natural Woman " A Natural Woman" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin on the Atlantic label. The record was a big hit for Franklin, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became a standard song for her... " |
46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Country Girl" | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | Country Girl | |
| 1975 | "The Best in Me" | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Don't Take it Away" | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | Will You Love Me Tomorrow | |
| "Will You Love Me Tomorrow Will You Love Me Tomorrow "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", also known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and originally recorded by The Shirelles. It has been recorded by many artists and was ranked among Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #125... " |
69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "Ashes of Love" | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "When the New Wears Off Our Love" | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | Here's Jody | |
| 1977 | "Spread a Little Love Around" | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Another Lonely Night" | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | single only | |
| 1978 | "Soft Lights and Slow, Sexy Music" | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away" | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Kiss Away" | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Lay a Little Lovin' on Me" | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | |