Gene Miller(VI)

Though bashful about his singing voice, Nashville native Gene Miller had never performed publicly until a friend coerced him into singing at a high school function. "I performed about ten songs, just my guitar and me, for about three hundred people. I was hooked from that moment on." He sang and played guitar in bands and got involved in high school theater productions. Following graduation, he landed a gig performing in a musical revue at Opryland theme park. Miller progressed from job to job until he was hired as a backup singer for Barbara Mandrell on her tours and television show. In between, he learned studio technique by singing jingles and doing sound-alike vocals for an advertising agency. Miller moved to Los Angeles to tour with Donna Summer and break into West Coast studio work in the mid-1980s. "L.A. was a harder nut to crack. People have work wrapped up and you have to really network." It took some time to build up a reputation through word of mouth, but eventually he had steady session work. "I sang everything: sound tracks for film, television commercials, cartoon scenes, records, song demos, and live television performances." When he moved back to Nashville in the mid-1990s, he quickly established himself as a session singer with artists such as Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Phil Collins, Jewel, and Martina McBride. In addition to song demos and his session work in Nashville, Miller also continues to do periodic work in Los Angeles and New York City. He added "actor" to his credits, when he performed on Broadway in the musical The Civil War, and sang on its album soundtrack.