Rick Miller profile picture

Rick Miller

About Me

Rick Miller has enjoyed a forty-plus year career in the music business. "Three people catalyzed my relationship to my muse". "First came my grandfather, Clarence Arthur Pine, who gave me my first guitar at age 6, taught me some chords and bellered songs at me every chance he got!" "He was a roofer who moonlighted as a 'hillbilly' singer back in the days when radio was still fresh and innocent." "He had a local, Marin County radio show where he performed as 'Pappy' Pine & His Melody Wranglers". "Saturday mornings I'd wake up and find pickers sprawled all over the livingroom floor, a tradition that I've continued throughout my life!" "My second big influence was Grady Tuck who taught me how to entertain and how to frail a banjo". "In the couple years I played with Grady in San Diego, I watched him do his thing like nobody I've seen before or since". "He bore a physical resemblance to Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), crooned like Perry Como, and made me laugh my ass off like Richard Pryor". "Grady was immortalized in the Tom Waits song 'On The Nickel'". "I lost touch with him back in the early '70's and later learned through Michael Cooney, another of his runnin' buddies, that he'd passed away". "I'd love to hear from anybody who knows something about Grady, has any pictures of him or stories about him"! I started a page at www.myspace.com/gradytuck where folks can post comments or email with any information they might have. "My third big influence is David T. Carter.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 1/7/2006
Band Website: www.trailerparkrangers.com
Band Members: David T. Carter, Chip Trombley, Rick Miller, Paul "Slim" Hoffman, Oliver Meissner, Paul Szczepanek, Peter Jungschaffer, Joe Kyle Jr. of The Waybacks, Steven W. Bazeley, Mike Emerson, Andius Jent, Ed Michaels, Jesse Rudolph of Stiff Dead Cat, Peter Welker, Peter Lacques, Matt Lacques, Dave Zirbel, "Doc" Ward, Phoebe Vernier, Alison Harris, Marilyn Carino of Mudville, Gavin Monaghan, Gazz Rogers, and Posthumous Honorary Membership to Mitchell Brown.
Influences: "Pappy" Pine, Elec & Myra Miller (mom & dad), Kenny Pine (guitar-pickin' great uncle), Clem Pine (another guitar-pickin' great uncle), Larry Miller (my guitar pickin' pedal steelin' little brother out in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee), My cousin Tom Bodell a real blues burnin' guitarist, Grady Tuck, Rosalie Sorrels, Buffalo Express, Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, Don Williams, Don Rich, Merle Haggard, Norm Hamlet, Gram Parsons, Foy Willing, Dave Zirbel, Lou & Virginia Curtiss, Stevie Gurr, Joseph Spence, Glen Forsch and El Sombrero, Bob Webb, Bill Nunn and The Heritage Theater, Cameron Crowe, Jack Schrade, Slim Whitman, Eldon Shamblin, Lefty Frizzell, Lord Buckley, Richard Pryor, Teddy Jack Eddy, Rusty Draper, Garth Hudson, Reggie Weiss, Andy Kaufman, Robbie Robertson, Country Gazette, Nelson Riddle, FRANK ZAPPA, Charlie & Henri Musselwhite, Nat King Cole, Doc Watson, Alan Rosin, Paula Volpin, Corey Bailey, Alex Kazanegras, John Fiore, Leo Fender, Abigail Ybarra, David Costell, Pete Aguanno, Sha Na Na, Gene Moles, Speedy West, Lionel Cartwright, Fred Carpenter, Grady Martin, Marvin Rainwater, Mahlon Farley, Lenny Capizzi, Redd Volkaerts, Billy Miller, Ray Flacke, Ricky Skaggs, Jesus Christ, Joe Maphis, Jane Dornacker, Larry Collins, Lisa Baney, Dick Dale, Joel Scott Hill, Mixed Company, Ron White, All Jupiterians, Levon Helm, Jimmy Wakely, Tommy Mottola, Charo, Tilda Swinton, Mary McCaslin, Ray Bierl, Ben Fong-Torres, Jim Campilongo, Edward James Olmos, Paula Russell, Elton Britt, Curt Bouterse, Kenny Wertz, Jerry Reed, Lee Hazlewood, Buddy Emmons, Sarah Jory, Herbie Remington, Lee Marvin, Johnny Downer, Gene Parsons, Rumi, Richard Manuel, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Cecil Cady Pine, Sarah Ann Pine, Lonnie Mack, Ian Tamblyn, Bill Kirchen, Buck Owens, Sheep Ranch California, Elmo Shropshire, Dr. Daniel Jones, Layla Musselwhite, Ed Douglas, Jack Tempchin, Jann Wenner, Alan Munde, Jesse Edwin Davis, Lonny Nason, Sam Hinton, Tom Presley, Byron Berline, Rick Danko, Tony Rice, Larry The Cable Guy, John Jorgenson, Anthony Crawford, Jimmy Bryant, "Thumbs" Carlisle, Chris LeDoux, Tommy Thomsen, John Hedley, Jack Greene, Roy Buchanan, Hazen Cowan, Jack London, Albert Lee, Martin Luther King, Jr., Christopher Marvin, David Broza, Tony Bennett, Sonoma Rose, June Millington, Norton Buffalo, Ben "Silverhand" Thompson, Gene Autry, Stanley Mouse, Tamara Slayton, Mister Rogers, JT LeRoy, Preston Epps, Jack Nitzsche, Bobby Vinton, Kerry Yianilos, Woody Guthrie, Brad Paisley, Yuris Zeltins, Greg Harris, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Leonard Peltier, Jackie Lomax, Pat Paulsen, Gandhi, Jim Messina, Job, Dave Bradley, Larry Murray, Hoagy Carmichael, Django, Tom Brumley, Glen Kolotkin, Sandy Pearlman, Dennis Hromek, Tom Clack, David T. Carter, Luther Perkins, Ytzak Rabin, Keith Whitley, Buddy Emmons, Roy Nichols, Link Wray, George Harrison, The Firesign Theater, Redd Foxx, Rusty Warren, Roy Clark, Bob Layns, Clarence White, Steve Gordon, Mickey Rooney, Jr., Waylon Jennings, Ol' Peyote, Leon Uris, John Croizat, James Taylor, Merrill Moore, Frankie Layne, Jerry Garcia, Kate Wolf, Jim Reeves, David "Gus" Garelick, Mickey Coughlan, Dolly Parton, Mark Knopfler, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, Dominic J. Fontana, Ed Sanford, John Townsend, Otis Hale, Ed Black, Biff Adam, Billy Byrd, Kenny Stabler, Andres Segovia, Wally Heider, Jimmy Foot, Susie Foot, Will Geer, Theatricum Botanicum, Jerry Adler, Travis Key, Sr., Travis Key, Jr., Jerry "Flux" Douglas, Ryland Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Ledward Kaapana, Chris Ethridge, Steven W. Bazeley, Perry Como, James Burton, Dean Martin, Baker Knight, Henry Strzelecki, Elvis, Tom Seal, Astrid Sinclair, David Lindley, Kid Paret, Jackie Robinson, Kris Kristofferson, Rex Gosdin, Vern Gosdin, Don Parmley, Chris Hillman, Bill Monroe, Rose Maddox, Tom Waits, Grady Garland, The Glaser Brothers, Pete Seeger, Patsy Cline, Michael Nesmith, Leonard Cohen, Shunryu "Crooked Cucumber" Suzuki, George Shearing, Roy Hamilton, Daniel Lanois, Edith & Everett L. Farley, Mike "Buzz" Hinton, Rory Gallagher, Arlo Guthrie, Bruce "Utah" Phillips, Robin Sylvester, Lou Gottlieb, George Gershwin, Randy Newman, Keith Allen, Nina Gerber, The Everly Brothers, Rick Nelson, Tiny Moore, "Grandpa" Jones, Tom Smothers, Muhammad Ali, Ronit Many, Willie Nelson, Michael Hedges, Marty Robbins, Ringo Starr, Ernie Fye, Robert "Doc" Quam, Johnny Cash, Eva Cassidy, "Pinetop" Perkins, Jethro Burns, Gavin Monaghan, Gazz Rogers, Michael Cooney.
Sounds Like: 100,000 Ping Pong balls on a tin roof.
Record Label: Distributed by City Hall Records

My Blog

I See Hawks In L.A. at Aubergine's in Sebastopol June 5th

We will be sharing the stage at Aubergine's Vintage Emporium, on Friday June 5th in Sebastopol Ca, with I See Hawks In L.A.  Hope to see you there.  I've been a fan of this band for quite awhile, and ...
Posted by on Mon, 11 May 2009 14:02:00 GMT

"High Sierra" video featuring friends, emith

Here's a video version of "High Sierra", a cut from their new CD release "13 Seasons".  I hear rumors that there will also be a limited release on vinyl for all of us audiophiles. 
Posted by on Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:23:00 GMT

Goodbye Mitchell Brown

A few weeks ago I, and my friends, lost a cherished voice and one of the most gentle spirits imagineable. We all loved to hear Mitch sing, and if you ever had the pleasure of seeing him step up to the...
Posted by on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:24:00 GMT

Magic Garden Studio (Gavin Monaghan and Gazz Rogers)

The best description I can give of what it's like to work with Gavin and Gazz, of Magic Garden Studio http://www.myspace.com/magicgardenstudio , is to say how empty it feels around here now that they'...
Posted by on Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:30:00 GMT

Charlie and Layla Musselwhite Video

Here's a video performance by my friends, Charlie and Layla Musselwhite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0DmzHX0YjI
Posted by on Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:35:00 GMT

Genealogy

I seem to have a deep interest in Genealogy, not just my own, but all of it.  It's a great way to circumvent the revisionist versions of history that we learn in public schools.  I have, how...
Posted by on Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:13:00 GMT

LEAH SIEGEL-Hear it for yourself

Another singer/songwriter/guitarist you'll find in my top friends.  Leah has to be heard to be appreciated.  She's a great guitarist, possesses a voice that shocks with a million volts and r...
Posted by on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:54:00 GMT

ALISON HARRIS-Talented songwriter with the voice of an angel.

Check out the music of this real-life friend of mine.  I love the purity of her voice and the courageous vulnerability of her songwriting.  Every time I hear her sing, it takes me back to th...
Posted by on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:40:00 GMT

July 4th, 2007 Don't Take Freedom Lightly

I reckon this is a suitable subject for today.  A book was written about my great-uncle Clem Pine.  It's the story of his time as a POW in Stalag Luft 4 and survival of a death march.  ...
Posted by on Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:29:00 GMT

Goodbye, Peter Kleinow

The world lost a true pioneer on January 6th, 2007.  Peter Kleinow, founding member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, pedal steel guitarist extroardinaire, and a gifted animator passed away in Peta...
Posted by on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 09:42:00 GMT