Biography
Clarence Horatio Miller, 18 December 1922, Sioux City, Iowa, USA, d. 9 June 1992, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Miller’s parents were Henry Miller, a Sioux, who was a preacher, and Nora Epperson, a descendant of slaves. His first influence in music came from his father’s church but he also heard the blues sung by men working on the railroad. In the 30s, while still a student, he formed a band, but with the outbreak of World War II he joined the army. After serving in the Pacific and in Europe, he began entertaining his fellow soldiers. In 1949 he joined Lionel Hampton’s band, then had a five-year spell with Jay McShann. Miller’s abiding interest in the blues was such that writer-poet Langston Hughes wrote a series of songs especially for him and he also performed at Carnegie Hall in The Evolution Of The Blues Song with Jon Hendricks and Miriam Makeba, the recording of which won the Grand Prix Du Disque. In 1963 Miller moved...
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