Other "Country Casuals", both live and on record, include a who's who of the rockabilly/country/indie/rock scene including the following fine fellers Malcolm McMaster,Radio Sweethearts, City Sinners, etc. (pedal steel) Frank Macdonald BMX Bandits, Teenage Fanclub, etc. (drums), Joe Guillan Skip Rats, Sureshots, etc. (guitar/steel/voclas), David Scott Pearlfishers, BMX Bandits (guitar/bass/piano/vocals), Phil Sakerski (Dobro/Banjo) and Alasdair Kennedy (fiddle) of The Moonshiners, Willie Gamble (pedal steel), Graham Shipcote (bass/vocals), Derek Star (percussion), Gareth Rowan (vocals) and Harley Dave (guitar/vocals) of Too Country, Fraser Reid (guitar), Kathy Stewart (vocals), The Lazy Ranch Hands (vocals), Ray Prior of Home Made Jam (fiddle), Sticks Larkman Shipcote & Friends (Drums), Tom Armstrong (Guitar/Vocals), Mike Wolf (Guitar/Vocals), Thom Marsden (Steel/Fiddle/Vocals), Brad Gross Too Damn Country (Drums), Phil Morgan The Western Aces (Steel), Fiddlin' Jim Morrison Lost Sons Of Littlefield (Fiddle) and many others.
Influences
JOHN MILLER's influences are mainly 50s to 70s Country Music, plus a little bit of Rockabilly and Rock'n'Roll. His all-time favourites include Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Wynn Stewart, plus classic Faron Young, Lefty Frizzell, early Hank Williams Jr, and Ray Price.
Other favourites include Joe Carson, Donny Young (Johnny Paycheck), Jimmy Logsdon, Bob Morris, Bobby Austin, Willie and Waylon, and a smattering of new Honky Tonk Heroes like his good friends Tom Armstrong, 'Misisipi' Mike Wolf, Dale Watson, Robbie Fulks, Laura Cantrell, Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys, Misisipi Mike Wolf, Jason Arnold, The Gin Palace Jesters, and many, many others.
He is also a major (as in full back catalogue) fan of The Beatles, Roxy Music, The Clash, The Smiths,Radiohead,The Arctic Monkeys (and now Last Shadow Puppets) and British Sea Power just to confuse matters.
Sounds Like
HEAVY HANGS THE HEAD
I CLOSE MY EYES
ONE OF THOSE OLD COUNTRY SONGS
DON'T FORGET TO TELL HIM
ONE EXCUSE TOO MANY
SEE MORE VIDEOS AT www.youtube.com/radiosweethearts
A SELECTION OF RECORDINGS FEATURING THE WORK OF JOHN MILLER
BREAKING NEWS: New Album Starts Recording August 1st, 2009. See Blog for details Watch this space for the latest exciting news from John Miller and his Country Casuals.
JOHN MILLER ESTABLISHED HIS REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE UK'S LEADING COUNTRY MUSIC SINGERS AND SONGWRITERS WHILE ACTING AS FRONTMAN FOR GLASGOW'S RADIO SWEETHEARTS.
WHEN CONFLICTING INDIVIDUAL WORK COMMITMENTS LED TO THE SWEETHEARTS' DEMISE MILLER BRANCHED OUT ON HIS OWN FORMING HIS COUNTRY CASUALS AND RECORDING HIS CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SOLO DEBUT 'POPPING PILLS' FOR SCOTTISH LABEL SPIT AND POLISH (A DIVISION OF SHOESHINE RECORDS).
RELEASED TO GREAT REVIEWS 'POPPING PILLS' WAS GIVEN A FIRM THUMBS UP FROM CRAIG BAGULEY, EDITOR OF TOP UK MAGAZINE COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE WHO GAVE IT 5 STAR 'SPOTLIGHT' STATUS AND SAID "THIS SOLO ALBUM FROM MILLER IS ONE OF THE FINEST COUNTRY ALBUMS EVER RELEASED BY A UK ACT; INDEED, BY ANY INDEPENDENT ARTIST, WHETHER OUT OF AUSTIN, NASHVILLE OR AUSTRALIA... THIS IS A RECORD THAT BRITISH COUNTRY CAN BE PROUD OF".
HIS FOLLOW UP ALBUM 'ONE EXCUSE TOO MANY' WAS ALSO WARMLY RECEIVED AND WITHIN WEEKS OF IT'S RELEASE WAS NOMINATED FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR AT THE UK COUNTRY RADIO AWARDS.
AFTER TOURING BOTH ALBUMS THROUGHOUT THE UK, GATHERING A FIERCELY LOYAL FANBASE IN THE PROCESS, MILLER AMICABLY PARTED COMPANY WITH SPIT AND POLISH AND SHORTLY AFTER ANNOUNCED HIS DECISION TO RETIRE FROM THE 'MUSIC INDUSTRY RAT-RACE'.
LESS THAN TWO YEARS LATER PUBLIC DEMAND LED MILLER TO RE-GROUP HIS COUNTRY CASUALS AND PERFORM A SHORT SERIES OF SHOWS IN THE UK AND EUROPE. THE FOLLOWING YEAR HE UNDERTOOK THE FIRST OF HIS 'HONKY-TONK MERRY-GO-ROUND' EUROPEAN TOURS. HIS SUCCESS IN EUROPE HAS LED TO THE 'HONKY-TONK MERRY-GO-ROUND' BECOMING AN ANNUAL EVENT.
IN AUGUST 2009 MILLER AND HIS COUNTRY CASUALS BEGIN WORK ON THEIR LONG AWAITED BRAND NEW ALBUM FOR THE FOLK'N'WESTERN RECORDING CO. (more details here soon).
WE'RE HOPING THE RELEASE OF THIS THIRD ALBUM WILL LEAD TO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS FOR JOHN MILLER AND HIS COUNTRY CASUALS. SO LONG AS HE DOESN'T DECIDE TO RETIRE AGAIN WE'LL BE HAPPY.
CHARLES STAINES, Executive Producer,
The Folk'n'Western Recording Co.
Here's the poster for our next show as designed by the wonderful
MISISIPI MIKE WOLF
Full details of all gigs (past and present) can be found at www.johnmillermusic.com
DOWN MEXICO WAY
TWO INTO THREE WON'T GO
Here's the pictures we couldn't fit in (Maximum allowed is 100).
Click on VIEW MY PICS above for the 100 far more interesting photos...?
LEAVE MY DARLING ALONE
SOME INFLUENTIAL GEMS FROM MY COLLECTION
(put cursor over record for full title)
A FEW MORE OF MY FAVOURITES (A SMALL SELECTION)
John Miller and his Country Casuals's Friend Space (Top 24)
John Miller and his Country Casuals has 414 friends.
Thanks for your bulletin comment John. I was lumping you in with the rest of us underpaid musicians. Didn't want to call you an old timer, incase you clouted me one! I was thinking maybe 'experienced' or 'veteran' might be better? God knows how anyone makes a penny in this game when everyone wants something for nothing. We'd make more on the wedding circuit. What a thought, eh?
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