Biography
Born around 1948 in Jamaica, Miller began his career in the early 1960s as a baritone vocalist alongside the Downbeats. He honed his skills on the hotel circuit along Jamaica’s north coast, a platform that eventually secured him a place in Jimmy James And The Vagabonds once the ensemble relocated to Britain. The group issued several singles, among them ‘Red Red Wine’, ahead of Tony Tribe’s later reggae rendition of the Neil Diamond original; that track became the band’s sole UK Top 40 entry in 1968, with no further chart appearance until 1976.
After leaving the Vagabonds, Miller immersed himself more deeply in Britain’s reggae community. He performed at the 1971 Wembley Reggae Festival, where Trojan Records initially intended to capture the event for a live album that ultimately did not materialize. The label later succeeded with a recording at Alexandra Palace that featured the Pioneers, Greyhound, Nicky Thomas, Delroy Wilson and Bruce Ruffin, with Miller serving as compère. That same year he cut the novelty single ‘Mule Train Parts One And Two’ for Trojan and performed it during the Alexandra Palace show. Subsequent releases included ‘Bewildered’ and the satirical ‘The Monkey’. He also shared stages with fellow Jamaican Danny Ray and helped the singer obtain an MCA Records contract.
As a solo artist, Miller issued ‘Call Me’ in 1974 on the Trojan offshoot Ashanti. His standing as an MC led to further high-profile introductions, notably at the Rainbow Theatre’s Jamaica Showcase that year, where he presented Al Brown, Dennis Brown, Cynthia Richards and Sharon Forrester. In June 1977 he again introduced Bob Marley And The Wailers at the same venue; the concert was filmed and remains recognized as the first official reggae video. Early in the 1980s he revisited ‘Mule Train’ with Sly And Robbie, restoring his visibility as a performer. He maintained an active presence at live events while nurturing ambitions in acting, which bore fruit in the 1990s with a recurring role in the sitcom Desmond’s. In 1996 he returned to the studio to produce Jimmy James and Winston Curtis’ ‘Muriel’.
After leaving the Vagabonds, Miller immersed himself more deeply in Britain’s reggae community. He performed at the 1971 Wembley Reggae Festival, where Trojan Records initially intended to capture the event for a live album that ultimately did not materialize. The label later succeeded with a recording at Alexandra Palace that featured the Pioneers, Greyhound, Nicky Thomas, Delroy Wilson and Bruce Ruffin, with Miller serving as compère. That same year he cut the novelty single ‘Mule Train Parts One And Two’ for Trojan and performed it during the Alexandra Palace show. Subsequent releases included ‘Bewildered’ and the satirical ‘The Monkey’. He also shared stages with fellow Jamaican Danny Ray and helped the singer obtain an MCA Records contract.
As a solo artist, Miller issued ‘Call Me’ in 1974 on the Trojan offshoot Ashanti. His standing as an MC led to further high-profile introductions, notably at the Rainbow Theatre’s Jamaica Showcase that year, where he presented Al Brown, Dennis Brown, Cynthia Richards and Sharon Forrester. In June 1977 he again introduced Bob Marley And The Wailers at the same venue; the concert was filmed and remains recognized as the first official reggae video. Early in the 1980s he revisited ‘Mule Train’ with Sly And Robbie, restoring his visibility as a performer. He maintained an active presence at live events while nurturing ambitions in acting, which bore fruit in the 1990s with a recurring role in the sitcom Desmond’s. In 1996 he returned to the studio to produce Jimmy James and Winston Curtis’ ‘Muriel’.
Albums
Singles
