Dan John Miller
Encyclopedia
Dan John Miller is an American
singer-songwriter
and actor
from Detroit, Michigan
. He is currently the guitarist and lead vocalist for the gothic country-garage band Blanche
. He made his major film acting debut in the film Walk The Line
, playing Johnny Cash
's guitar player Luther Perkins
.
, whom The Austin Chronicle called "the most exciting live band in America" after playing South By Southwest
. The band toured with such bands as Uncle Tupelo
and Morphine
, and released two albums. He collaborated again with Jack White
in the band Two Star Tabernacle, mixing elements of raw country and garage rock.
Currently, Dan and wife Tracee Mae Miller front the gothic country-garage band Blanche
. The band’s critically acclaimed debut album, If We Can't Trust the Doctors was released on V2 Records
at the end of 2004. Their second album, Little Amber Bottles, was released to similar critical acclaim in 2007.
As a solo performer, he was chosen to perform at Dave Eggers
' Revenge of the Book–Eaters benefit concerts. He has also played with Ralph Stanley
, Josh Ritter
and The Mekons. As part of the promotion for the release of Walk The Line, Miller performed solo along with the Tennessee Three
at the ArcLight Theatre
in Hollywood.
Miller also played and sang on Loretta Lynn's Grammy winning album Van Lear Rose, as well as Charlie Louvin's (of country legends The Louvin Brothers) Grammy nominated self-titled album.
Miller has also made cameos in music videos by the Melvins, The Soledad Brothers and The White Stripes
.
An acclaimed audiobook narrator, Miller was named a Best Voice by AudioFile magazine
: for performances of Pat Conroy's
The Lords of Discipline
and Philip Roth's
My Life As a Man
. In 2009, he was nominated for two Audies, as well garnering a Golden Earphone award (Audiofile magazine), and a Listen Up! award from Publishers Weekly
.
As director:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
from Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. He is currently the guitarist and lead vocalist for the gothic country-garage band Blanche
Blanche (band)
Blanche is an American alternative country band from Detroit, Michigan. Their music is based in Americana, early country, and folk blues, with a touch of haunting Southern Gothic stylings and garage rock mentality. Blanche is known for wearing vintage fashion of the early to mid-20th century.The...
. He made his major film acting debut in the film Walk The Line
Walk the Line
Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash...
, playing 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...
's guitar player Luther Perkins
Luther Perkins
Luther Monroe Perkins was an American country music guitarist and a member of the Tennessee Three, the backup band for singer Johnny Cash. Perkins was an iconic figure in what would become known as rockabilly music...
.
Career
Miller's musical career began in the 1990s, fronting the country-punk band Goober & The PeasGoober & The Peas
Goober & The Peas are a cowpunk band from Detroit, Michigan known for blending odd humor to a darker side of country music. The band was known for their frenetic live shows in the early and mid-1990s. The Austin Chronicle called them "some seriously sick individuals, and quite possibly the most...
, whom The Austin Chronicle called "the most exciting live band in America" after playing South By Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
. The band toured with such bands as Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
and Morphine
Morphine (band)
Morphine was an American alternative rock group formed by Mark Sandman and Dana Colley in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1989. They disbanded in 1999 after frontman Sandman died of a heart attack....
, and released two albums. He collaborated again with Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
in the band Two Star Tabernacle, mixing elements of raw country and garage rock.
Currently, Dan and wife Tracee Mae Miller front the gothic country-garage band Blanche
Blanche (band)
Blanche is an American alternative country band from Detroit, Michigan. Their music is based in Americana, early country, and folk blues, with a touch of haunting Southern Gothic stylings and garage rock mentality. Blanche is known for wearing vintage fashion of the early to mid-20th century.The...
. The band’s critically acclaimed debut album, If We Can't Trust the Doctors was released on V2 Records
V2 Records
V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
at the end of 2004. Their second album, Little Amber Bottles, was released to similar critical acclaim in 2007.
As a solo performer, he was chosen to perform at Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
' Revenge of the Book–Eaters benefit concerts. He has also played with Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
, Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.- Early life :Josh...
and The Mekons. As part of the promotion for the release of Walk The Line, Miller performed solo along with the Tennessee Three
Tennessee Three
The Tennessee Three was the backing band for country music and rockabilly singer Johnny Cash for nearly 25 years, until Cash's reorganizing of the group and naming it The Great Eighties Eight in 1980....
at the ArcLight Theatre
ArcLight Hollywood
The ArcLight Hollywood is a 14-screen multiplex located at 6360 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, in the United States of America. All 14 screens feature stadium seating, and carry a THX certification for optimal sound and picture presentation. The building is located adjacent to the...
in Hollywood.
Miller also played and sang on Loretta Lynn's Grammy winning album Van Lear Rose, as well as Charlie Louvin's (of country legends The Louvin Brothers) Grammy nominated self-titled album.
Miller has also made cameos in music videos by the Melvins, The Soledad Brothers and The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
.
An acclaimed audiobook narrator, Miller was named a Best Voice by AudioFile magazine
AudioFile (magazine)
-Launch:The publication was launched in 1992 as a twelve-page black & white newsletter with about 50 critical reviews of audiobooks, focused on new releases. In 1997, it switched to a 36-page colour magazine format with about 60 reviews per issue and interviews with authors, readers, and...
: for performances of Pat Conroy's
Pat Conroy
Pat Conroy , is a New York Times bestselling author who has written several acclaimed novels and memoirs. Two of his novels, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, were made into Oscar-nominated films.-Early life:...
The Lords of Discipline
The Lords of Discipline
The Lords of Discipline is a 1980 novel by Pat Conroy.-Summary:The novel's narrator, Will McLean, attends the Carolina Military Institute in Charleston, from 1963 to 1967. The novel takes place in four parts. The first describes the beginning of his senior year and the admission of new freshmen...
and Philip Roth's
Philip Roth
Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
My Life As a Man
My Life As a Man
My Life As a Man is American writer Philip Roth's seventh novel.-Summary:The work is split into two sections: the first section, "Useful Fictions," consisting of two short stories about a character named Nathan Zuckerman , and the second section,...
. In 2009, he was nominated for two Audies, as well garnering a Golden Earphone award (Audiofile magazine), and a Listen Up! award from Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
.
Instruments
He plays a Harmony H60 Meteor archtop guitar mostly on tours with a Fender Twin Reverb amplifier and occasionally a Danelectro Daddy-O distortion pedal. He also plays a Gibson J-100 acoustic guitar.Marriage and children
He married painter Tracee Mae Miller on October 13, 1996. They have two children, daughter Frances Rose Miller (born 18.2.2009), and Hollis Harmon Miller (born 14.9.2011).Solo discography
As musician:- Loretta LynnLoretta LynnLoretta 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...
, Van Lear RoseVan Lear Rose-Personnel:*Loretta Lynn - vocals, guitar*Dave Feeny - pedal guitar, steel guitar, dobro, percussion, background vocals*Patrick Keeler - drums, percussion, background vocals*Jack Lawrence - bass, percussion, background vocals...
(2004) - acoustic guitar, percussion, background vocals - Charlie LouvinCharlie LouvinCharles Elzer Loudermilk , known professionally as Charlie Louvin, was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1955.-Biography:Born in Henagar, Alabama, Louvin was one of 7 children...
, Charlie Louvin (2006) - vocals
As director:
- The White StripesThe White StripesThe White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, "Hotel YorbaHotel Yorba"Hotel Yorba" is the lead single from White Blood Cells, by Detroit, Michigan garage rock band The White Stripes, and their first single to be released commercially. It was released in November 2001....
" - co-director, music video
Filmography
- Murder Too Sweet (1994), Priest
- TimequestTimequest (film)Timequest is a 2002 science-fiction film directed by Robert Dyke. It stars the ensemble cast of Victor Slezak as John F. Kennedy, Caprice Benedetti as Jacqueline Kennedy, Vince Grant, and popular b-movie actor Bruce Campbell...
(2000), Dan Rather - Walk the LineWalk the LineWalk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash...
(2005), Luther PerkinsLuther PerkinsLuther Monroe Perkins was an American country music guitarist and a member of the Tennessee Three, the backup band for singer Johnny Cash. Perkins was an iconic figure in what would become known as rockabilly music... - Mr. WoodcockMr. WoodcockMr. Woodcock is a 2007 comedy film directed by Craig Gillespie, and starring Seann William Scott, Billy Bob Thornton, Susan Sarandon, Amy Poehler, and Ethan Suplee. The film was released on September 14, 2007.-Plot:...
(2007), Family Man - LeatherheadsLeatherheadsLeatherheads is a 2008 American sports comedy film from Universal Pictures directed by and starring George Clooney. The film also stars Renée Zellweger, Jonathan Pryce and John Krasinski and focuses on the early years of professional American football....
(2008), Hotel Clerk