Julie Anne Miller (born Julie Griffin, July 12, 1956) is an American songwriter, singer, and recording artist living in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. She married

Buddy Miller Steven Paul "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in T ...

in 1981. They sing and play on each other's solo projects and have recorded several duet albums.

Career

Recordings

Julie Miller's first professionally released recording was with the group ''Streetlight'' which consisted of Julie,

, and Ron Krueger. The self-titled album was released in 1983. Julie and Buddy wrote some songs for the LP, including the original version of "Jesus in Your Eyes" (later re-recorded for ''Orphans and Angels''). "How Could You Say No" (written by Mickey Cates) was originally performed on this album and later included on Julie's solo debut ''Meet Julie Miller''. A 1985 demo tape recorded by Julie listed eight songs, but contained eleven. Two of these songs were later included on ''Meet Julie Miller'', but the remaining nine songs were not reissued. Songs on this tape include: "I Don't Need Anything Else", "Mystery Love" (Synth Pop Version), "Love Is", "I Look to You", "I Don't Need", "What Does it Take", "I Wanna Be Ready", "King of my Heart" (not the same as that which appeared later on her first Myrrh release), "My New Psychiatrist" (Synth Pop Version with different lyrics), "Debby Came Back", "Dangerous Place" (Synth Pop Version). Only one copy of this tape has seen circulation; it is unknown whether Julie used the tape to shop for a record label, or sold them at concerts. Julie's musical career initially took off after singer

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American disc jockey, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, R ...

forwarded her demo tape to friends at

Myrrh Records __NOTOC__ Myrrh Records (also known as Myrrh Worship) was an American Christian music record label. According to ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music'', the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for contemporary Christian m ...

. Myrrh signed Miller to a contract and released ''Meet Julie Miller'' (her first solo album) in 1990. This album included backing vocals from

Shawn Colvin Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1997 Grammy Award-winning song "Sunny Came Home". Early life Colvin was born Shawna Lee Colvin in Vermillion, South Dakota, and ...

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multi ...

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "Honorific ...

, Kelly Willard and

Russ Taff Russell Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California. He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contempo ...

. Miller's second solo album ''He Walks Through Walls'' (1991) also included backing vocals from Colvin, Williams, Grant and Willard.

Mark Heard John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phil ...

and Reverend Dan Smith also contributed vocals. This album included the original version of the song "Broken Things", which was later re-recorded. Her 1993 album ''Orphans and Angels'' included a duet with

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

on "All My Tears", which was written after the death of Mark Heard.

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

vocalist

Jimmy Scott James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs. After ...

also contributed vocals. Miller also covered Heard's song "Treasure of the Broken Land". Shawn Colvin once again contributed background vocals. The video of the song "S.O.S." from this album was released to Christian TV. Her fourth solo album ''Invisible Girl'' was released by Street Level Records. Julie covered The Williams Brothers song "

Can't Cry Hard Enough "Can't Cry Hard Enough" is a song written by David Williams and Marvin Etzioni. Williams originally recorded a version titled "I Can't Cry Hard Enough" with Victoria Williams for the latter's 1990 album '' Swing the Statue!''. The following year ...

". Victoria Williams, Mark Olson and the Electrics provided background vocals. In 1997, Julie Miller released '' Blue Pony'' ( Hightone Records) which includes contributions from

, and Valerie Carter. Her most recent solo album is ''Broken Things'' in 1999, which includes new versions of "Broken Things" and "All My Tears" as well as new songs "I Know Why The River Runs," "Orphan Train," "Out in the Rain" and "I Still Cry." The song "By way of Sorrow" was a duet with Innocence Mission's Karen Peris. In 2001, the first Buddy and Julie Miller duo album '' Buddy & Julie Miller'' was released in 2001. This album won the Americana Music Association award for best album in 2002. Released in 2002, ''Love Snuck Up'' was a compilation of the Millers' Hightone recordings. A Julie Miller compilation is planned, which will include tracks selected by Julie from her first four albums, which have been out of print for many years.

Work with other artists

In 1987 Julie contributed background vocals to the song "Remember Me" on Benny Hester's album ''Through the Window''. In 1992, Julie provided the title track for ''Cry of the Heart: Emily's Eyes'', an album released to bring hope to victims of child abuse. Julie mentioned after a 2002 concert in Kentucky that the song "Emily's Eyes" had one line edited out of it, as there was concern regarding the "implications". No further details were provided. In 1994, Julie and Buddy Miller recorded Mark Heard's "Orphans of God" which was the title track for the single CD Mark Heard Tribute album Strong Hand of Love. They also assisted Victoria Williams on her version of "What Kind of Friend". Later that same year, both songs were included on the two-CD Mark Heard Tribute Orphans of God, with the song "What kind of Friend" expanded by nearly a full minute. Julie's composition, "By Way of Sorrow," was an inspiration for the tone of

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American filmmaker and journalist. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Grammy Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award. Crowe started his career a ...

's movie ''

Vanilla Sky ''Vanilla Sky'' is a 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller film directed, written, and co-produced by Cameron Crowe. It is an English-language remake of Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 Spanish film '' Open Your Eyes'', which was writ ...

'' but the song was not featured in the film.

Covers of Julie Miller songs

Many artists have recorded songs composed by Julie Miller, and Julie and Buddy. See the list of songs written by Buddy and Julie Miller for an extensive list. After the 1998 Omagh bombing in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, local singer Juliet Turner performed a version of Miller's song "Broken Things" at a memorial service for the victims of the bombing.

Touring and performing

Julie and Buddy Miller teamed up with Victoria Williams, Mark Olson, and

Jim Lauderdale James Russell Lauderdale (born April 11, 1957) is an American country, bluegrass, and Americana singer-songwriter. Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, ...

for a European tour billed as "The Rolling Creek Dippers" in the 90s.

Personal life

Julie has been married to

since 1981. They met in 1976 in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

when Buddy auditioned for and played in a band with her. They live in

, where Buddy has set up a home studio on the main floor for music recording and production. She has battled the effects of fibromyalgia, mood swings, and depression.

Compositions

Discography

Solo and with Buddy Miller

Music videos

As contributing musician

* 1984:

Dennis Agajanian Dennis Agajanian is an American Christian musician of Armenian descent; he has recorded over 20 albums. He has performed at churches in 120 countries, he has been featured at the Harvest Crusades and Billy Graham William Franklin Graham J ...

- ''Where Are The Heroes'' (Sparrow) * 1990:

- ''Swing The Statue!'' (Rough Trade) * 1993:

Wes King Wes King (born January 20, 1966) is an American contemporary Christian singer, songwriter, photographer, and musician. He is perhaps best known for his 1993 album ''The Robe.'' His demo material, a cassette tape named "Lonely Poet", is sung by o ...

- ''The Robe'' (RCA) * 1995: Nina Åström - ''Moods'' (Spark) * 1995: Kate Miner - ''Sacred'' (Cadillac Fund Productions) * 1998:

Candle A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

- '' Bullfrogs and Butterflies II: God Loves Fun'' (Birdwing) * 1998:

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack (; born August 19, 1966) is an American singer and songwriter. She has charted 23 times on the American ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts; her highest peaking single there is her crossover signature song, " I Hope You Dance" ...

- '' Some Things I Know'' (Decca) * 1998:

Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patricia She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ...

- '' Flaming Red'' (A&M) * 1998:

- ''Musings of a Creek Dipper'' (Atlantic) * 2000: Bill Mallonee and Vigilantes of Love – ''Audible Sigh'' ( Compass Records) * 2000:

- '' Red Dirt Girl'' (Nonesuch) * 2000:

- '' I Hope You Dance'' (MCA Nashville) * 2000:

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He is best known as a founding member of Split Enz. Finn founded the band in 1972 with Phil Judd and served as lead singer and principal songw ...

- '' Say It Is So'' (Hypertension) * 2001:

John Hiatt John Robert Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New wave music, new wave, blues, and country music, country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Gramm ...

- '' The Tiki Bar Is Open'' (Vanguard) * 2002:

The Chieftains The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous w ...

- '' Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions'' (RCA) * 2002:

- ''The Hummingbirds'' (Dualtone) * 2003:

- '' Stumble into Grace'' (Nonesuch) * 2003:

- '' A Kiss in Time'' (ATO) * 2005:

- '' Impossible Dream'' (Proper) * 2005: Jude Johnstone - ''On A Good Day'' (Bojak) * 2007:

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...

- '' Dirt Farmer'' (Vanguard) * 2010:

- '' Downtown Church'' (Credential) * 2013:

- '' All Fall Down'' (

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Nonesuch ...

) * 2014: Johnny Two Bags (

Jonny Wickersham Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham (born May 26, 1967) is an American musician who is currently a guitarist for the California punk rock band Social Distortion. He joined Social Distortion after the death of founding member and longtime friend Dennis Dan ...

) - '' Salvation Town'' (Isotone Records)

As primary contributing artist

* 1995: Various Artists - ''Noel'' (VIA Records) - track 10, "

Away in a Manger "Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in the late nineteenth century and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain, it is one of the most popular carols; a 1996 Gallup Poll ranked it joint second. Although i ...

" (with Buddy Miller)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Julie 1956 births Living people American women singer-songwriters American women country singers American country singer-songwriters Singers from Dallas People from Waxahachie, Texas Singers from Nashville, Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Texas Country musicians from Texas Country musicians from Tennessee 21st-century American women Singer-songwriters from Tennessee