Ain't Got No Cigarettes: Memories of Music Legend Roger Miller

My head | Nita Nupress

[Nita Nupress]

BOOK REVIEW & DISCUSSION:

Ain't Got No Cigarettes: Memories of Music Legend Roger Miller
By Lyle E Style

"It's an endless story about Roger. He was one of the cleverest people I've ever met in my life." (Waylon Jennings)

---

This is my own review of Ain't Got No Cigarettes, the first Roger Miller book ever published. My review is based on reading the book (twice) and having several discussions with Lyle E Style, the author. He may stop by later to answer questions (as his schedule allows).

This one is a must-read, folks. And for you radio personalities who lurk, Lyle is very articulate. (YouTube.:-)


Roger Miller's spontaneous wit and creativity were legendary among his friends. Even today, they regard him as the most gifted songwriter/entertainer they've ever known. How do I know this? Because that's exactly what they told me in this book. 

Author Lyle E Style has compiled a remarkable account of a man whom we knew and loved as Roger, but who was also known in Nashville as "The Wild Child." This is no ordinary "biographical" type of book. You'll read it cover to cover, laughing out loud one minute and maybe shedding a tear the next. Go read the reviews on Lyle's website if you need to. . Better yet, go read the reviews and then buy the book. If you like country music, you won't regret this one. If you do, send it to me. I want another one.

Style spent four years tracking down friends and peers of Roger Miller to see what they remembered. As it turned out, they remembered plenty.

---

The King of The Road Finally Gets His Due

The Legend

Roger Miller himself needs no introduction. I'll do it anyway, though. There's always one in every crowd -- someone who can't remember the 1960s because he spent it with Janis Joplin in Haight-Ashbury, probably watching his hair grow. Also, those of you who weren't alive in the '60s or who lived on planet Venus may need a short background. (If you don't need the 3-paragraph bio, skip it.)

Roger Dean Miller (1936-1992) began writing songs at age five when he wrote a verse about his mother while walking to school. At age 11 he taught himself to play fiddle, followed by the guitar, banjo, drums, and piano. By the time Roger died in 1992 of cancer, he had written hundreds of songs. No doubt you remember Roger for those funny songs we all knew and loved such as "Dang Me" and "Chug-a-Lug," as well as his signature classic "King of the Road." Many people don't know that Roger was the voice of Alan-A-Dale the Rooster in the 1973 movie Robin Hood. He also wrote and sang several of the movie's songs ("Oo-de-lally", "Not in Nottingham" and "Whistle-Stop"). He was a regular on Johnny Carson and other TV shows. In 1985 this multi-faceted artist blazed new trails by writing the musical score for Big River, a Broadway play that swept the Tony Awards that year.

Roger Miller's remarkable songwriting skills and vocal chords earned him a total of 11 Grammys in the mid-1960s, a record that remained unbeaten until Michael Jackson and Thriller.  His rise to Nashville stardom actually began in the late '50s when other singers began covering his songs (Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, George Jones, Little Jimmy Dickens, Jim Reeves, Faron Young). In 1964 he released two songs ("Dang Me" and "Chug-a-Lug") on Smash Records that became overnight hits. Those two songs were unlike anything Nashville had ever seen. They also helped him walk away with Grammy awards in all five of his nominations, including that of Best New Country & Western Artist. Miller wasn't competing against slouches, either. Roger's unique style beat out such notables as Buck Owens, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Bobby Bare, Hank Williams, Jr., Sonny James, Dottie West, Bill Anderson, and Connie Smith.

By 1965 the British Invasion was in full swing, starting with the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. When Beatle-mania began sweeping the country, other British bands followed, such as Hermann's Hermits, The Rolling Stones, The Moody Blues, and The Yardbirds with Eric Clapton. Meanwhile, Roger Miller had crossed musical genres into pop, giving him another record-breaking year at the Grammy Awards. His song "King of The Road" beat out the Beatles' "Yesterday" in two separate categories. That year, Miller went home with awards in six of his nine nominations. Roger Miller's Grammy domination had been so complete, the rules were changed so it wouldn't happen again. (Source). One of his songs, "Dang Me," is in the Grammy Hall of Fame.  (More biography: Country Music Hall of Fame and CMT.com)

So, yeah. Roger Miller was big, all right. Plenty big.

The Author

Lyle E Style seems to be a really nice guy from what I can tell. He's a songwriter, singer, and connoisseur of country music, especially that of the "Outlaw" variety. Style had never heard of Roger Miller until one Tuesday night in 1998 when he caught a music-filled tribute on TNN -- ``Roger Miller Remembered.''  Wanting to know more, Style began searching book and music stores but soon realized that detailed information about Roger Miller was not easy to find. Most of Roger's music had not been reissued, despite his discography of over 800 songs. Even harder to believe, no one had written a book. Style decided he couldn't do much about the first problem, the paucity of music, but he was soon crafting plans to remedy the second problem. Within two years Style had landed his first interview: Merle Haggard.

The Storytellers

Unbelievably, Style managed to snag face-time with such notable greats as Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Buck Owens, Mel Tillis, Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakum, and many, many others too numerous to list. (Full list is on Lyle's website). Some of the names you'll recognize instantly and some are more "behind the scenes," but all of them knew Roger in some capacity. As Style's 4-year journey progressed he was often told, "Oh, don't bother with him. He doesn't do interviews. Hasn't in years." Style asked them anyway, despite the well-meaning advice. And like so many others had done, the reclusive people were eager to talk about their friend and share their Roger-memories with the world. Even if it meant sharing some face-time with this stranger from Winnipeg. 

When I started reading this book it wasn't long before I noticed the same words being used repeatedly during the interviews. "Genius." "Brilliant." "Quick." "Witty." "Clever."  The words and phrases were everywhere. If a genuine respect and admiration for Roger Miller's creative genius was ever in doubt, this book dispels those doubts in a very big way.  Roger seems to be universally liked and admired by his peers in Nashville and beyond, which makes it even more astonishing that Lyle's book is the first one ever written.

"Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Roger Miller were real close friends, all four of us. It's a funny thing that none of us ever bring up Roger when we're together. It's too tender. You know, I don't know of anybody that would say anything bad about Roger. I don't think there is any bad. He was loved by everybody who knew him. I really cared a lot for him and I miss him every day." (Merle Haggard)

"[Roger]... was probably my favorite. He was the most talented singer, the most talented and gifted person of the century. He was exactly what he appears to be. He was sensitive, he was funny, he was highly intelligent, and I don't go a week that I don't think about him." (Mickey Newbury, songwriter)

To be honest, I was halfway expecting to find the obligatory, "Oh-he-was-such-a-fine-fellow" type of praise you often  see when a public figure diess. Instead of the faux praise, I was struck by all the seemingly genuine, heartfelt emotions.  Even if I tried, I couldn't convey the admiration shown in this book for Roger's songwriting talent.

"Roger was hands down the most creative articulator of words that we ever had in Nashville. ... Nobody else ever approached the cleverness with which he could handle a subject." (Ted Harris, songwriter)

The interviews weren't limited to the well-known, "famous" people such as Buck Owens and Roy Clark. Style showed some real insight by tracking down lesser-known country music "insiders," some of whom accompanied Roger on road trips for months at a time. This diversity helped give the book a well-rounded balance. 

One of the interviews was Sheb Wooley, who was Roger's brother-in-law. (You may remember him as a country music singer and the "Pete Nolan" character on Rawhide). Back when Sheb was nineteen and Roger was nine, Sheb would visit the Miller farm while courting Roger's sister (technically his cousin, but that's another story). When Sheb is asked if he and Roger ever sang together, he states: "...we would ride that old horse together, ride out across them prairies, singing them songs. He had a nice voice when he was a little kid. He was on pitch too.  He had a nice sense of humor even back then."

To round out the interviews, Style even talked to Roger's Nashville doctor, Dr. Robert Ossoff, and to Manuel, Roger's clothing designer.  I suppose we could over-analyze here and make an argument that Styles' thoroughness was due to "obsession" and not "insight." People with obsessive traits do tend to write good books because of its arduous nature. We shouldn't make that leap, though. Manuel-the-clothier had a hilarious story to tell and only a thorough person could have found it. About the only people Style didn't track down were the pilots of all those Lear jets. Maybe he's saving that for Part 2.
 
 
The Interviewing & Editing

At Styles' insistence, the "Not-so-Famous" storytellers were included alongside the "The Famous." It was Styles' determination to save them that helped guide his choice of publisher. Some of the U.S. publishers wanted to chop the 'lesser-knowns,' who were arguably the people who knew Roger best. When push came to shove, Style seems to have taken notes from one of his heroes, Waylon. In true country music "Outlaw" fashion, Style chose a publisher that would give him more creative control over his work.

For the most part, Style asked the questions that you or I would have asked, which helped keep the reader focused. After asking a question, he would  prudently sit back and give the storytellers free reign. Sometimes they strayed off-topic, but in many ways, that's one of the big positives about the book. We get to hear all the side stories.

Occasionally, one of the storytellers would wander off-topic and you could see Style's "journalistic self-control" meander right out the door with him. But then again, how do you spend a three-day weekend with Waylon Jennings and not ask him about that trademark "Whoop! Whoop!" sound he makes? I think Style has addressed this somewhere else, but I'll say it more bluntly: Would you have told Waylon Arnold Jennings to get "back on topic" when he started telling you about that ongoing feud with Tompall Glaser? And would you have pulled out your "refocusing skills" if record producer Jack Clement -- THE Jack Clement, mind you -- started sharing all his stories about Elvis, Sam Phillips, Sun Studio, Jerry Lee Lewis, RCA, and Chet Atkins? 
 
This book is also unique because it has minimal clutter. Style has gotten a few emails from unhappy readers who wanted more author commentary. I disagree strongly. Mr. Style did not know Roger Miller. It was not his story to tell. The book probably would have benefited from having an expanded Index in the back to make stories easier to find again, but other than that, I wanted the stories!  If I want an expansive biography, I can find them on Wiki or Answer or at the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

As with all books, white space costs money. It's simple, really. The more verbiage Style wrote about a man he didn't know, the fewer 1st-hand stories I would get to read.

(1st Person Stories + Author Verbiage)



Editor/Publisher "Space-Limitations"® (a.k.a. hatchet-job)

=

Total # of really cool Roger-stories I get to read

The Drugs

You knew I would get to it eventually. I have to. It was part of who Roger Miller was.

First, this is not a "tell-all" book in any way whatsoever. That's not what Style wanted and it's not what he delivered. But yes, Roger's friend tell us lots of stories about his drug use. Surprisingly, though, many are just as candid about their own. Evidently, rampant pill-popping was an considerable part of the Nashville music scene four decades ago. The quote below is toward the beginning of the book. Whether by design or not, its early placement in the text was an inkling of what may follow.  I don't want to be a spoiler here so I won't give you any more specifics. Go buy the book.

"Now, Lyle, don't go writing a whole bunch of stuff about speed and stuff and say I'm the only one who mentioned it. I don't want to be the only one. We were all doing it, every one of us. Everybody knew it and everybody used it. If you ask the next person you interview, "Did you do speed in the sixties?" Damn right they did! If they say, "No," they're lying. (Don Bowman)

Mr. Bowman, you needn't have worried.

So what about Roger's pill use? Why? A few of his friends talked about the "why" directly but I'll leave that to others to contemplate. If you're going to read this book, it would help to first read about his early childhood. Then when you read Lyle's book, it helps to puts things into perspective. It lets you see exactly what he had to overcome.  I've read the book twice already to digest everything that's in it. As soon as I get a chance I'll be reading it again. (Reading and rereading this book seems to be a common practice. It's that good.)

Roger's early childhood trauma left him with a wound that most of us can only imagine. By age three, he had lost all of his immediate family members to either death or separation: His father, his mother, both of his older brothers, and finally, the familiar surroundings he knew as "home." This type of inner hurt and pain would have made a lesser person curl up and die, at least on the inside, anyway. Roger was resilient, though, even as a 3-year old. Instead of curling up and dying, he learned how to survive.

God Bless you, Roger Miller. You were just something else.


Summary

Lyle E. Style has accomplished two things with this book, either one of which could stand alone on its own merits. Style does both.

First, he provides us with a truly heartwarming account, however painful at times, of a legendary musical artist who has largely been forgotten. No doubt, there are other readers here who grew up listening to Roger Miller like I did. Those who go on to read Lyle's book will realize that, while we were listening to (and laughing at) all those funny, "cutesy" songs, many of Roger's musical masterpieces remained unheard. Or even worse, they were left unrecorded. It's as if some of his songs got stuck somewhere between Bakersfield and the dusty bank vaults of Tree Publishing (now Sony/CBS).

The second thing Mr. Style has done is give us an insider's glimpse into early Nashville in its heyday. We hear 1st-person narratives straight from those who lived it. Nashville in Roger Miller's day was a time of camaraderie between singers, songwriters, and even producers. Talent ruled the day, not young executives with lap tops. Grand Ol' Opry performers walked across the alley to Tootsie's Orchid Lounge for a drink between shows. Singers and songwriters met for guitar pulls to bounce songs off one another. Roger and Roy Clark would pull all-night joke marathons to see who would be left standing.  These stories and more are in these interviews.

Many of these storytellers have already passed away, and the graying music legends who remain aren't getting any younger. By gathering these legends all in one spot, Style, a Canadian, has preserved a valuable slice of our Americana history.

Even if you don't like Roger Miller's music or Roger Miller the man, you may find this book interesting for its historical value alone.

 

"All in all, it's safe to say there will never be another Roger Miller, not even close." (Fred Foster, songwriter)

[Nita Nupress]

Cool. I think I may have known that about your husband being into music at one time, but had forgotten. Anyway, that rings a bell somehow.

I'm with you: I admire anyone who can create a song by writing words on paper, no matter what the genre. It's truly an art, one that I don't have & never will. Guitar? Yeah, but anyone can do that. It's the crafting of words into a song that takes the real talent.

[Nita Nupress]

I have sheet music of a lot of his songs and think I will go now and play "Little Green Apples" on the piano.

I'm glad to know you've been inspired. :-)

[Nita Nupress]

- amazing quote by Kenny, that should have been in the book but he never expressed any interest in participating, so I didn't push it with him. I usually checked two, maybe three times max and then I just left them alone. I'll be seeing him in a few months so maybe I'll see if I can chat with him for the possible part two.

Okay, see? NOW I have to ask you about George Jones. I wasn't going to, but since you mentioned it first. (Kinda sorta.)

[Nita Nupress]

No problem sharing some of the stuff left on the cutting room floor. A ton of work when into those interviews too and it was sad to have to drop them. I had to cut out a ton on bizarre and funny stories along the way too because of the space issue. The publisher didn't think this book should be longer than the Bible.

A "Part 2" would probably be as interesting as this one. If not now, then someday. Just be sure and save them in several different places, just in case. It was sickening to hear so many stories those guys told about how Roger handed them scraps of paper with newly-written songs on them, but they lost them, either by fire or by ex-wives. Those taped interviews, too. Those are historical documents that should be preserved. But you knew that already. :-)

It has a word count on it, but I can't figure out how to just count the number of words without going one by one in the find section.

Hmm... I could have sworn there was a way to do that, but darned if I can figure it out now. Let me ask around and I'll get back with you on that.

[mrestyle]

First off, everyone NEEDS the 3 disc Roger box set King of the Road - The Genius of Roger Miller, especially discs 2& 3 - amazing stuff!! There are a few unreleased songs from albums that were lost (Treat Me Like A Human, What Are Those Things...). I can't explain how good that stuff is. Roger literally became my favorite singer/songwriter of all time after listening through the box set (competing with my favorites Waylon, Wille, Johnny, Bobby Bare, Merle, Elvis and Alice Cooper). Roger went right to the top of the list.

I'd also recommend the Best of Roger Miller IMPORT - 30 songs, most alternative versions. Buddy Killen told me he didn't like this CD because Roger was out of it and not into it, and you can hear it. They aren't quite as good as the original but they are really enjoyable plus there are a few songs on there that I haven't seen released previously. Great Value, worth getting after the box set.

If you don't have it, you need to hunt down "Uncle Harvey's Plane" - amazing track, there are 2 versions released from the studio, one you could tell Roger was on another world when he cut it, awesome. I do that song at most of my shows and people really seem to enjoy it, in fact, much more than the material I write :( It wasn't written by Roger but he made it his own.

There was a Readers' Digest CD set released a few years ago, lots of really good material, the only place I can find it occassionally is on Ebay. That's one worth picking up.

I haven't had much problems ordering online. So I would recommend getting that BEAR Family one (ebay is probably the cheapest but check amazon), they did a really nice biography written up in there and released many of songs that are awesome that didn't appear on the box set. There's easily enough solid material for there to be a second box set.

There's another "greatest hits" CD released I'm told with the same 10 or 12 songs from every other greatest hits CD but this one comes with a DVD with just interview clips. I haven't seen it yet but I hope to soon, I'm told it's good.

FYI, Ebay is a pretty safe place to buy from IF you buy from someone who has a high rating and quite a few sales (I'd say anything over 50 with a score of 95% or higher is worth buying from).

[mrestyle]

George Jones... I tried three times when I was in Nashville for a few months and he didn't get back to me. I spoke to his publicist, manager and office people and they never got back to me. I didn't want to harass anyone. Usually people jumped on it when the heard about the project, he didn't so I didn't want to push it.

The original title of the book was "Old Friends: Fuzzy Memories of Roger Miller" - from what I know about George from people in his circle, the memories would definitely be 'fuzzy'. I imagine if he did share some stories, they would be amazing. You also have to realize many of these guys told me stories off the record or simply told me "out of respect to his family, I can't tell you the real good ones" or they just simply stayed quiet and smiled.

Regarding Mr. Jones, he was in Canada a few years ago and I was told by a person he was on tour with him that he was threatening to cancel shows if someone so much as tried to shake his hand. This was during the SARS scare that happened in Toronto where one person thought they had it, but this was FAR from Toronto. He actually said that in concert, something along the lines of "do not come up to the stage, don't hand me any gifts or I'm leaving."

I like George and respect his talents so I just let him go, but I did get a few emails from people really angry at me because George Jones wasn't in it. The fact is, I was lucky to have any of the 100 people in the book as it was.

Perhaps I could have tried again closer to press time but this was when I already had to chop out nearly 200 pages of material. As it was, it was a ton of work to do and I didn't have time to make any extra work and didn't want to be considered a pain to him or his people. Maybe if there's a part two, he'll see the signifacance of capturing some of his memories of times spent with Roger.

Here's a clip from an interview I did with Take Country Back Magazine that sort of relates:

Style’s direct and confident approach worked more than well, and he recalls only one resistant interviewee.

“I'm a huge Lee Hazlewood fan. I knew Roger lived with him for a while in California , I really wanted to chat with Lee about it and he pretty much told me off. Sometimes it's best not to meet your heroes or have any contact with them; I haven't listened to too much Lee Hazlewood music since. Overall though, most everyone I chatted with or approached to do an interview was very nice to me and accommodating.”



- After my experience with Lee where he told me "Not now or ever!!!" I didn't want the same thing to happen with anyone else.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I met my husband through music - a party, actually, for a bunch of a cappella singers. I'm now with two groups that will be singing and competing in Vegas in just a couple of weeks ;-). You can listen live during that time by clicking on this link right here.

[Nita Nupress]

It's killing me, but I have a deadline to meet by in the morning, so I'll have to come back tomorrow. I don't think they would understand how I was hanging out here. ;-) Thanks for your comments. I'll be back when I can breathe.

[Nita Nupress]

Diito what I just said. :(

[Fledermaus]

Sheb Wooley also lived near Casitas Springs off the Ventura, CA coast where Johnnie Cash lived in a place called Oak View.

I was a nine year old boy back then and my parents knew both Wooley and Cash. I have a picture of me on Cash's knee.

This was 1968.

[eleni121]

Enchantingly a genius. Thanks.

"I don't pay no union dues..."

[Senator Pardek]

"Also, those of you who weren't alive in the '60s or who lived on planet Venus may need a short background."

Blah blah. I was alive during the 60's, yet I know nothing about him and you're too young to know anything about him.

Is he like The Beatles for you hillbillies?

[Liberty Valance]

...


Old Toy Trains by: Roger Miller


Old toy trains, little toy tracks
Little toy drums coming from a sack
Carried by a man dressed in white and red
Little boy, don't you think it's time you were in bed?
Close your eyes
Listen to the skies
All is calm, all is well
Soon you'll hear Kris Kringle and the jingle bells

Bringin' old toy trains, little toy tracks
Little toy drums coming from a sack
Carried by a man dressed in white and red
Little boy, don't you think it's time you were in bed?

Close your eyes
Listen to the skies
All is calm, all is well
Soon you'll hear Kris Kringle and the jingle bells


Bringin' old toy trains, little toy tracks
Little toy drums coming from a sack
Carried by a man dressed in white and red
Little boy, don't you think it's time you were in bed?

[mrestyle]

I'd love to see that photo. I got to hang out with Saint Johnny Cash and Sheb, pics at http://www.electricrecordings.com/aapics.html

Sheb was one of the funniest guys I ever met. A funny story that didn't make the cut in the book was after the interview I went out for a late lunch with Sheb. He got in the car, I started it and I heard some high-pitch squeeling. I thought it was my car as I've had some serious car problems on the book adventure (this was a new one though). I asked Sheb "Can you hear that?" He said "No". I shut off the air conditioner, the radio, and it was still squeeling.

After driving for some time, I leaned back towards the back seat to see if it was coming from the rear speakers and as I did, I realized the sound was coming from Sheb's left hearing aid. If he wasn't deaf before, he was for sure then.

Sheb passed away 3 years ago this week, he was one of the coolest guys you could want to meet. He had an alter ego "Ben Colder" in where he released a number of records. I never really got it and never talked too much about it with him. A year later my fridge was sweating a bit and I had to adjust the temperature to "colder" and I got the joke "He's Ben Colder".

I admit this wasn't the first time I didn't get the joke until some time afterward. With a lot of Roger's humor (and sometimes other characters from the book), it took some time to 'get it'. Part of the charm of Roger. Many of his friends told me it would sometimes take months for them to get Roger's joke and that audiences would laugh all the way home after a Roger show because they start getting what Roger said.

[Eagle9]

Which reminds me... When they come home to visit, I'm hiding my Roger Miller CDs or they may disappear!!

Now you know them good ol' Texas boys you raised wouldn't do nuthin' like 'at.

I'm wanting to order that Bear CD but haven't yet simply because I don't want to get ripped off.

I'll be your Huckleberry.
Seriously, I just ordered that Bear CD from ARTISTdirect.com and you can wait to see if and when I receive mine before you order, if you like. I can tell you this much. The shipping & handling was $4.60 and it takes two days to process an order before it is 'handled' and shipped. I checked the Bear Family Records home web site and they have that CD available for about $3.00 less but from what I can tell, they are located in Germany and probably have the same shipping rates. A couple of years ago I ordered several Boogie Woogie CDs by Axel Zwingenberger fro Germany and the shipping rate was $5.00 per CD. I almost didn't order the one where Axel plays solo piano, as always, but his brother Torsten Zwingenberger joins in on drums. I couldn't resist and ordered four Zwingenberger CDs. That was before Amazon started carrying Axel's CDs (great boogie woogie piano). But, I digress. I'll let you know when I receive the Roger Miller Bear CD.

[Nita Nupress]

Well, all of that is understandable about Jones. I wouldn't have wanted to bother him either, no matter HOW great of an interview he would have been. Even if he remembered HALF of what's stored in his brain, like you said, it would be awesome.

Okay, on to something else...

I guess I'm going to be the bold one (or rude, take your pick) who steps out on the proverbial tree limb here and asks about Roger's family and this book. It may be a question that people want to know but don't want to ask.

As for me, this was one of the first questions I had when I found the book on the Internet. "Are any of Roger Miller's family members involved in this?" After all, he had several wives and 7 or 8 kids. Did you talk to any of them beforehand, and have you gotten any feedback from them since the book was published last year?  Yes, I know. I'm being hopelessly tacky. But it's a legitimate question. And it needs to be asked, in my opinion.

Before you say anything, I want to say something, just for the record. I firmly believe in the concept, "out of respect to the family," and so every time I see a transgression of that philosophy, it practically shouts at me. There's not enough respect in the world, as it is.  When I was reading this book (both times), not once did I have the thought, "Ouch, this author shouldn't have included this."  Not once. No doubt there were some juicy details you left out, and I for one commend you for that. I thought the book was very respectful, even with the drug stories. (Drugs are drugs. There's just not much you can do to avoid that).

Also, when I said in the book review that all this stuff was sometimes "painful" to read, that's because watching Roger Miller self-destruct was a bit unsettling. I dearly loved this man as a child, an impressionable child, as did many other people my age who literally grew up with him singing to us in our living rooms.  It was painful to learn all these things about him. After I discovered Three Dog Night at age 14 or so, I didn't think about Roger Miller again until a few months ago. (His hair was just too short once I hit Jr. High, I suppose. :-)

Okay, back to the family question. I ask it only because I know you'll continue to remain respectful.

[Nita Nupress]

It was painful to learn all these things about him.

By that, I meant his addiction to diet pills and the stories some of your interviewees told about his tragic early childhood.

[NavyCanDo]

I bought the a Best Of CD a few years ago. Roger Millers had some Great traveling music and we love listening to it when we take a vacation road trip.

I DARE YOU NOT TO SING ALONG TO ONE OF THESE

King Of The Road
Dang Me
Chug-A-Lug
Engine, Engine #9
Do-Wacka-Do
Heartaches By The Numbers
England Swings

[Nita Nupress]

I DARE YOU NOT TO SING ALONG TO ONE OF THESE

It's impossible. I wouldn't even want to torture myself by trying!

[Nita Nupress]

I'll be your Huckleberry.

I appreciate that very much. I don't have good luck sometimes with these things. It's as if I had a "Kick me" sign hanging on my back. Let me know how it turns out!