The Return of Roger Miller
Encyclopedia
The Return of Roger Miller was the second studio album of country music
singer-songwriter
Roger Miller
. It was released under the Smash Records
label in 1965. It reached #2 on the country album charts and #4 on the Billboard 200
, and was ultimately certified as Gold by the RIAA.
Two singles were released from the album including "Do-Wacka-Do
" and "King of the Road
." The latter was the biggest crossover hit of Miller's career reaching the top of the country, adult contemporary and English singles charts, and peaking in the top ten in the Billboard 100 and Canadian singles charts. The track "You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd" was later released as a single in 1966. "In the Summertime" was a renamed version of Miller's 1960 single "You Don't Want My Love."
, record producer Jerry Kennedy
began work with Miller to create another album from the other material recorded at the session. The tracks for The Return were compiled and a few songs recorded at a different session were also added. Smash proceeded to release the album following the positive reception to Roger and Out, which won Miller five Grammy's, and handed him the first #1 of his career with "Dang Me
."
On the album, sounds to go along with Miller's scat
harmonizing during lulls in the vocals and for background music were built around the lead guitar played by Miller. Few instruments were used in the production, but a doubling of acoustic
and electric guitar
s were utilized frequently on the album. Piano
play was also essential for setting the tone and keeping a rhythm on the tracks.
painting." By itself, the track won five Grammy awards for Miller including best Rock and roll
single. By comparison, the whole album won only one, for best country album.
"Do-Wacka-Do" was lauded in a Beachwood Reporter review as the "finest example of Miller's outrageous, ultra-high scat singing
" as was "You Can't Roller Skate In a Buffalo Herd," which the reviewer labeled as "wacky." Overall the publication stated that the record was "nothing but one strong song after another."
Allmusic gave the album five stars, commenting that the tracks "are classic American songs which hold up alongside the best of any generation." Although the review mentioned the album's shortness, the reviewer stated that Miller got "it all in" regardless, "balancing the humorous and serious songs, stretching out just a touch on the more swinging numbers." The publication also praised the instrumentals of the album, deeming the "arrangements" responsible for making each of the recordings "special."
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-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...
Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
. It was released under the Smash Records
Smash Records
Smash Records is an American record label. It was founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records by Mercury executive Shelby Singleton and run by Singleton with Charlie Fach. Fach took over after Singleton left Mercury in 1966...
label in 1965. It reached #2 on the country album charts and #4 on the Billboard 200
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...
, and was ultimately certified as Gold by the RIAA.
Two singles were released from the album including "Do-Wacka-Do
Do-Wacka-Do
"Do-Wacka-Do" is a song, released in 1965, by American country music artist Roger Miller. The expression "do-wacka-do" is a funny way of saying "do-like-I-do".The song expresses envy in a humorous way...
" and "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"...
." The latter was the biggest crossover hit of Miller's career reaching the top of the country, adult contemporary and English singles charts, and peaking in the top ten in the Billboard 100 and Canadian singles charts. The track "You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd" was later released as a single in 1966. "In the Summertime" was a renamed version of Miller's 1960 single "You Don't Want My Love."
Background
After releasing material during the two day session that brought forth his debut albumRoger and Out
Roger and Out was the debut album of country music singer-songwriter Roger Miller. It was released under the Smash Records label in 1964, and later re-released in 2005 under Vertigo Records, adding the track "Smile of Me." The second release did not chart but the first reached #3 on country album...
, record producer Jerry Kennedy
Jerry Kennedy
Jerry Glenn Kennedy is an American record producer, songwriter and guitar player.-Early years:Kennedy was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. As a child, he recalls "beating on broomsticks and other things" as his initial forays into music-making...
began work with Miller to create another album from the other material recorded at the session. The tracks for The Return were compiled and a few songs recorded at a different session were also added. Smash proceeded to release the album following the positive reception to Roger and Out, which won Miller five Grammy's, and handed him the first #1 of his career with "Dang Me
Dang Me
"Dang Me" is a 1964 song by American country music artist Roger Miller, and that year's Grammy Award winner for Best Country & Western Song. Miller's first major country hit and first Top Ten pop music hit, it was a novelty song whose "jazzy instrumental section" helped make it "the quintessential...
."
On the album, sounds to go along with Miller's scat
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
harmonizing during lulls in the vocals and for background music were built around the lead guitar played by Miller. Few instruments were used in the production, but a doubling of acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s were utilized frequently on the album. Piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
play was also essential for setting the tone and keeping a rhythm on the tracks.
Reception
Critics gave the album positive reviews, remarking that "King of the Road" was "perhaps the most perfect country song ever written" and that "it is packed with detail and nuance like a Vincent van GoghVincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
painting." By itself, the track won five Grammy awards for Miller including best Rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
single. By comparison, the whole album won only one, for best country album.
"Do-Wacka-Do" was lauded in a Beachwood Reporter review as the "finest example of Miller's outrageous, ultra-high scat singing
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
" as was "You Can't Roller Skate In a Buffalo Herd," which the reviewer labeled as "wacky." Overall the publication stated that the record was "nothing but one strong song after another."
Allmusic gave the album five stars, commenting that the tracks "are classic American songs which hold up alongside the best of any generation." Although the review mentioned the album's shortness, the reviewer stated that Miller got "it all in" regardless, "balancing the humorous and serious songs, stretching out just a touch on the more swinging numbers." The publication also praised the instrumentals of the album, deeming the "arrangements" responsible for making each of the recordings "special."
Track listing
Chart
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Top Country Albums | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 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... |
4 |
Singles
| Year | Song | 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 | UK 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 ... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | "Do-Wacka-Do Do-Wacka-Do "Do-Wacka-Do" is a song, released in 1965, by American country music artist Roger Miller. The expression "do-wacka-do" is a funny way of saying "do-like-I-do".The song expresses envy in a humorous way... " |
15 | 31 | - | 38 | - |
| 1965 | "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"... " |
1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
Personnel
- Buddy HarmanBuddy HarmanBuddy Harman was an American session musician.-Career:Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he played drums on over 18,000 sessions for artists such as Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, Chet Atkins, Marty Robbins, Roger Miller,...
– DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Buddy KillenBuddy KillenWilliam Doyce “Buddy” Killen was a record producer and music publisher, and a former owner of Trinity Broadcasting Network, and the largest country music publishing business, before he sold it in 1989...
– GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Roger MillerRoger MillerRoger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
– Guitar, Vocals - Bob MooreBob MooreBob Loyce Moore is an American session musician, orchestra leader, and bassist who was a member of the legendary Nashville A-Team during the 1950s and 60s.-Biography:...
– BassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...