Miller's covers of the girl group hits signaled a conservative reclaiming of a time when mixing R&B with country was rebellious (think Elvis and Rockabilly). This time, difiance was expressed by being tame. Jody Miller became a popular country star during the mid-'60s, thanks to her hit "Queen of the House", an answer song to Roger Miller's signature tune "King of the Road". Miller received the Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for that year, but the fact that she won it for a novelty tune indicates the poor regard Grammy voters had for female country singers [...]
Country-charting 1970s Nashville pop Jody Miller's recording catalog is often abbreviated to her first hit, the Grammy-winning "Queen of the House," and though its novelty answer to Roger Miller's "King of the Road" may get the most spins on nostalgia radio, it's hardly representative of her lengthy hit-making career. Her personal appearances on teen shows Hollywood-A-Go-Go and Shindig positioned her for pop success, but her follow-up singles found only middling results and failed to cross back over to the country chart. She had only one other hit for Capitol (the [...]
Jody Miller's country hits are finally reissued on this new album from Real Gone Music.
A Musical Battle of the Sexes Roger Miller was far from being a one-hit wonder but King of the Road stands towering in popularity over the rest of his work. It topped the UK singles chart in March 1965 and dozens of artists have covered it since (you can hear REM's paralytic version on my State Songs #20: Maine post). MP3: Roger Miller - King of the Road Buy: 7digital | [...]
"It's not you, really, it's me." Apologies for being MIA lately. The usual reasons: work has me working, my free time has been costly, and then there's this little thing known as an impending move. Posts will be sporadic for the next few weeks. To make up for it, here's a massive jukebox upchuck full of favorite songs of late. Dusty Springfield – "So Much Love" I've been listening to so much Dusty In Memphis lately, ever since my trip to Louisville. (Must have been the "Southern" exposure.) [...]
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Antony and the Johnsons - "Rise"
Santigold – The Keepers (Duke Dumont Remix)
