Frankie Miller - Scotland's Finest!

Frankie Miller isn't very well-known stateside, but dammit, he should be! First of all, don't confuse the rock world's Frankie Miller with the country singer of the same name that recorded in the '50s and '60s. This Miller, born in Glasgow, Scotland, plied his trade during the 1970s and into the early-80s.

Scotland's Miller came up through the British pub rock scene during the early part of the decade. What could have been a big break – after leaving Procol Harum, Robin Trower picked Miller as the vocalist for his new band Jude – became a bust when Jude proved to be a non-starter. Miller often performed with fellow pub-rockers Brinsley Schwarz, and used them as his backing band when he recorded his 1972 debut album, Once In A Blue Moon. The album is still considered one of his best, showcasing Miller's extravagant pipes and a radical (at the time) mix of rock, blues-rock, R&B, and the sort of roots-country that Brinsley Schwarz was known for at the time.

Miller travelled from the U.K. to New Orleans to record his sophomore album with soul giant Allen Toussaint. Released in '73, High Life was an incredible accomplishment, Miller's vocals melding perfectly with the band that producer/musician Toussant put together for the sessions. I became familiar with Miller through his third album, 1975's The Rock, which made its way to Tennessee somehow, and landed on my turntable. Miller's third album, The Rock showed an artist in full control of his abilities, and songs like "A Fool In Love," "Ain't Got No Money," and the shambling "Drunken Nights In The City" provided this listener with a healthy dose of blue-eyed soul that was largely missing from mid-70s rock & roll.

A couple of years later, Miller would release my favorite album of his, 1977's Full House. A full-blown fury of reckless soul and bluesy rock, the album yielded great performances on tunes like "Be Good To Yourself," "Down The Honky Tonk" and "(I'll Never) Live In Vain." Miller's tearful cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" is simply brilliant, covering the song with a blanket of emotion. The album barely scraped onto the American charts, though, rising as far as #124 on the Billboard Top 200; sadly, Full House would be the best-selling of the three Miller albums that would chart in the U.S.

Double Trouble, from 1978, and 1979's Falling In Love (released as Perfect Fit in the U.S.) brought Miller a couple of hits in the U.K. but resulted in nothing but further obscurity on this side of the pond. Easy Money, from 1980, was recorded in Nashville while 1982's Standing On The Edge was mostly recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Dancing In The Rain, from 1986, would prove to be Miller's last studio recording for nearly 20 years, until the 2006 release of Long Way Home.

Tragically, a brain hemorrhage in 1994 almost took Miller's life, and the singer remained in a coma for five months and spent a total of 15 months in the hospital. He gradually got well enough to begin writing songs again, and his unique lyrical vision provided hits for artists like Bob Seger and the Bellamy Brothers. Frankie Miller's songwriting talents cut across artificial genre lines, and have been recorded by Johnny Cash, the Eagles, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Tyler, and Roy Orbison, among others.

As for Miller's lack of commercial success in the U.S., well, even his most rabid fans would admit that his albums were often a perfectly-balanced mix of the brightly shining and the less-than-perfect. Much of his late-70s and, in my mind, all three of his '80s-era albums suffered from average production, and even his best work tended to have a clunker or two thrown in among the many-faceted gems. Miller never seemed to receive the promotional push of some of his peers, and that might be because of the timeless (i.e. not trendy) nature of his music.

Still, there's a lot of heart-and-soul in Miller's work, and most of Frankie's early catalog, including the essential Full House and The Rock, have recently been digitally remastered and reissued, with some of the albums featuring bonus tracks. In the meantime, check out these very cool live videos that feature Miller doing what he does best – sing!

(Click on the CD covers to buy The Rock and/or Full House from Amazon.com)

Frankie Miller - "Be Good To Yourself"


Frankie Miller - "I'd Lie To You For Your Love"


Frankie Miller - "Ain't Got No Money"


Frankie Miller (w/Rory Gallagher) - "Walking The Dog"

(How cool is this video? One of my favorite rock & roll vocalists performing with one of my favorite blues-rock guitarists in the late, great Rory Gallagher. Yippie!!!)