Ain't Got No Cigarettes: Memories of Music Legend Roger Miller

My head | Nita Nupress

[Nita Nupress]

BOOK REVIEW & DISCUSSION:

Ain't Got No Cigarettes: Memories of Music Legend Roger Miller
By Lyle E Style

"It's an endless story about Roger. He was one of the cleverest people I've ever met in my life." (Waylon Jennings)

---

This is my own review of Ain't Got No Cigarettes, the first Roger Miller book ever published. My review is based on reading the book (twice) and having several discussions with Lyle E Style, the author. He may stop by later to answer questions (as his schedule allows).

This one is a must-read, folks. And for you radio personalities who lurk, Lyle is very articulate. (YouTube.:-)


Roger Miller's spontaneous wit and creativity were legendary among his friends. Even today, they regard him as the most gifted songwriter/entertainer they've ever known. How do I know this? Because that's exactly what they told me in this book. 

Author Lyle E Style has compiled a remarkable account of a man whom we knew and loved as Roger, but who was also known in Nashville as "The Wild Child." This is no ordinary "biographical" type of book. You'll read it cover to cover, laughing out loud one minute and maybe shedding a tear the next. Go read the reviews on Lyle's website if you need to. . Better yet, go read the reviews and then buy the book. If you like country music, you won't regret this one. If you do, send it to me. I want another one.

Style spent four years tracking down friends and peers of Roger Miller to see what they remembered. As it turned out, they remembered plenty.

---

The King of The Road Finally Gets His Due

The Legend

Roger Miller himself needs no introduction. I'll do it anyway, though. There's always one in every crowd -- someone who can't remember the 1960s because he spent it with Janis Joplin in Haight-Ashbury, probably watching his hair grow. Also, those of you who weren't alive in the '60s or who lived on planet Venus may need a short background. (If you don't need the 3-paragraph bio, skip it.)

Roger Dean Miller (1936-1992) began writing songs at age five when he wrote a verse about his mother while walking to school. At age 11 he taught himself to play fiddle, followed by the guitar, banjo, drums, and piano. By the time Roger died in 1992 of cancer, he had written hundreds of songs. No doubt you remember Roger for those funny songs we all knew and loved such as "Dang Me" and "Chug-a-Lug," as well as his signature classic "King of the Road." Many people don't know that Roger was the voice of Alan-A-Dale the Rooster in the 1973 movie Robin Hood. He also wrote and sang several of the movie's songs ("Oo-de-lally", "Not in Nottingham" and "Whistle-Stop"). He was a regular on Johnny Carson and other TV shows. In 1985 this multi-faceted artist blazed new trails by writing the musical score for Big River, a Broadway play that swept the Tony Awards that year.

Roger Miller's remarkable songwriting skills and vocal chords earned him a total of 11 Grammys in the mid-1960s, a record that remained unbeaten until Michael Jackson and Thriller.  His rise to Nashville stardom actually began in the late '50s when other singers began covering his songs (Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, George Jones, Little Jimmy Dickens, Jim Reeves, Faron Young). In 1964 he released two songs ("Dang Me" and "Chug-a-Lug") on Smash Records that became overnight hits. Those two songs were unlike anything Nashville had ever seen. They also helped him walk away with Grammy awards in all five of his nominations, including that of Best New Country & Western Artist. Miller wasn't competing against slouches, either. Roger's unique style beat out such notables as Buck Owens, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Bobby Bare, Hank Williams, Jr., Sonny James, Dottie West, Bill Anderson, and Connie Smith.

By 1965 the British Invasion was in full swing, starting with the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. When Beatle-mania began sweeping the country, other British bands followed, such as Hermann's Hermits, The Rolling Stones, The Moody Blues, and The Yardbirds with Eric Clapton. Meanwhile, Roger Miller had crossed musical genres into pop, giving him another record-breaking year at the Grammy Awards. His song "King of The Road" beat out the Beatles' "Yesterday" in two separate categories. That year, Miller went home with awards in six of his nine nominations. Roger Miller's Grammy domination had been so complete, the rules were changed so it wouldn't happen again. (Source). One of his songs, "Dang Me," is in the Grammy Hall of Fame.  (More biography: Country Music Hall of Fame and CMT.com)

So, yeah. Roger Miller was big, all right. Plenty big.

The Author

Lyle E Style seems to be a really nice guy from what I can tell. He's a songwriter, singer, and connoisseur of country music, especially that of the "Outlaw" variety. Style had never heard of Roger Miller until one Tuesday night in 1998 when he caught a music-filled tribute on TNN -- ``Roger Miller Remembered.''  Wanting to know more, Style began searching book and music stores but soon realized that detailed information about Roger Miller was not easy to find. Most of Roger's music had not been reissued, despite his discography of over 800 songs. Even harder to believe, no one had written a book. Style decided he couldn't do much about the first problem, the paucity of music, but he was soon crafting plans to remedy the second problem. Within two years Style had landed his first interview: Merle Haggard.

The Storytellers

Unbelievably, Style managed to snag face-time with such notable greats as Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Buck Owens, Mel Tillis, Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakum, and many, many others too numerous to list. (Full list is on Lyle's website). Some of the names you'll recognize instantly and some are more "behind the scenes," but all of them knew Roger in some capacity. As Style's 4-year journey progressed he was often told, "Oh, don't bother with him. He doesn't do interviews. Hasn't in years." Style asked them anyway, despite the well-meaning advice. And like so many others had done, the reclusive people were eager to talk about their friend and share their Roger-memories with the world. Even if it meant sharing some face-time with this stranger from Winnipeg. 

When I started reading this book it wasn't long before I noticed the same words being used repeatedly during the interviews. "Genius." "Brilliant." "Quick." "Witty." "Clever."  The words and phrases were everywhere. If a genuine respect and admiration for Roger Miller's creative genius was ever in doubt, this book dispels those doubts in a very big way.  Roger seems to be universally liked and admired by his peers in Nashville and beyond, which makes it even more astonishing that Lyle's book is the first one ever written.

"Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Roger Miller were real close friends, all four of us. It's a funny thing that none of us ever bring up Roger when we're together. It's too tender. You know, I don't know of anybody that would say anything bad about Roger. I don't think there is any bad. He was loved by everybody who knew him. I really cared a lot for him and I miss him every day." (Merle Haggard)

"[Roger]... was probably my favorite. He was the most talented singer, the most talented and gifted person of the century. He was exactly what he appears to be. He was sensitive, he was funny, he was highly intelligent, and I don't go a week that I don't think about him." (Mickey Newbury, songwriter)

To be honest, I was halfway expecting to find the obligatory, "Oh-he-was-such-a-fine-fellow" type of praise you often  see when a public figure diess. Instead of the faux praise, I was struck by all the seemingly genuine, heartfelt emotions.  Even if I tried, I couldn't convey the admiration shown in this book for Roger's songwriting talent.

"Roger was hands down the most creative articulator of words that we ever had in Nashville. ... Nobody else ever approached the cleverness with which he could handle a subject." (Ted Harris, songwriter)

The interviews weren't limited to the well-known, "famous" people such as Buck Owens and Roy Clark. Style showed some real insight by tracking down lesser-known country music "insiders," some of whom accompanied Roger on road trips for months at a time. This diversity helped give the book a well-rounded balance. 

One of the interviews was Sheb Wooley, who was Roger's brother-in-law. (You may remember him as a country music singer and the "Pete Nolan" character on Rawhide). Back when Sheb was nineteen and Roger was nine, Sheb would visit the Miller farm while courting Roger's sister (technically his cousin, but that's another story). When Sheb is asked if he and Roger ever sang together, he states: "...we would ride that old horse together, ride out across them prairies, singing them songs. He had a nice voice when he was a little kid. He was on pitch too.  He had a nice sense of humor even back then."

To round out the interviews, Style even talked to Roger's Nashville doctor, Dr. Robert Ossoff, and to Manuel, Roger's clothing designer.  I suppose we could over-analyze here and make an argument that Styles' thoroughness was due to "obsession" and not "insight." People with obsessive traits do tend to write good books because of its arduous nature. We shouldn't make that leap, though. Manuel-the-clothier had a hilarious story to tell and only a thorough person could have found it. About the only people Style didn't track down were the pilots of all those Lear jets. Maybe he's saving that for Part 2.
 
 
The Interviewing & Editing

At Styles' insistence, the "Not-so-Famous" storytellers were included alongside the "The Famous." It was Styles' determination to save them that helped guide his choice of publisher. Some of the U.S. publishers wanted to chop the 'lesser-knowns,' who were arguably the people who knew Roger best. When push came to shove, Style seems to have taken notes from one of his heroes, Waylon. In true country music "Outlaw" fashion, Style chose a publisher that would give him more creative control over his work.

For the most part, Style asked the questions that you or I would have asked, which helped keep the reader focused. After asking a question, he would  prudently sit back and give the storytellers free reign. Sometimes they strayed off-topic, but in many ways, that's one of the big positives about the book. We get to hear all the side stories.

Occasionally, one of the storytellers would wander off-topic and you could see Style's "journalistic self-control" meander right out the door with him. But then again, how do you spend a three-day weekend with Waylon Jennings and not ask him about that trademark "Whoop! Whoop!" sound he makes? I think Style has addressed this somewhere else, but I'll say it more bluntly: Would you have told Waylon Arnold Jennings to get "back on topic" when he started telling you about that ongoing feud with Tompall Glaser? And would you have pulled out your "refocusing skills" if record producer Jack Clement -- THE Jack Clement, mind you -- started sharing all his stories about Elvis, Sam Phillips, Sun Studio, Jerry Lee Lewis, RCA, and Chet Atkins? 
 
This book is also unique because it has minimal clutter. Style has gotten a few emails from unhappy readers who wanted more author commentary. I disagree strongly. Mr. Style did not know Roger Miller. It was not his story to tell. The book probably would have benefited from having an expanded Index in the back to make stories easier to find again, but other than that, I wanted the stories!  If I want an expansive biography, I can find them on Wiki or Answer or at the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

As with all books, white space costs money. It's simple, really. The more verbiage Style wrote about a man he didn't know, the fewer 1st-hand stories I would get to read.

(1st Person Stories + Author Verbiage)



Editor/Publisher "Space-Limitations"® (a.k.a. hatchet-job)

=

Total # of really cool Roger-stories I get to read

The Drugs

You knew I would get to it eventually. I have to. It was part of who Roger Miller was.

First, this is not a "tell-all" book in any way whatsoever. That's not what Style wanted and it's not what he delivered. But yes, Roger's friend tell us lots of stories about his drug use. Surprisingly, though, many are just as candid about their own. Evidently, rampant pill-popping was an considerable part of the Nashville music scene four decades ago. The quote below is toward the beginning of the book. Whether by design or not, its early placement in the text was an inkling of what may follow.  I don't want to be a spoiler here so I won't give you any more specifics. Go buy the book.

"Now, Lyle, don't go writing a whole bunch of stuff about speed and stuff and say I'm the only one who mentioned it. I don't want to be the only one. We were all doing it, every one of us. Everybody knew it and everybody used it. If you ask the next person you interview, "Did you do speed in the sixties?" Damn right they did! If they say, "No," they're lying. (Don Bowman)

Mr. Bowman, you needn't have worried.

So what about Roger's pill use? Why? A few of his friends talked about the "why" directly but I'll leave that to others to contemplate. If you're going to read this book, it would help to first read about his early childhood. Then when you read Lyle's book, it helps to puts things into perspective. It lets you see exactly what he had to overcome.  I've read the book twice already to digest everything that's in it. As soon as I get a chance I'll be reading it again. (Reading and rereading this book seems to be a common practice. It's that good.)

Roger's early childhood trauma left him with a wound that most of us can only imagine. By age three, he had lost all of his immediate family members to either death or separation: His father, his mother, both of his older brothers, and finally, the familiar surroundings he knew as "home." This type of inner hurt and pain would have made a lesser person curl up and die, at least on the inside, anyway. Roger was resilient, though, even as a 3-year old. Instead of curling up and dying, he learned how to survive.

God Bless you, Roger Miller. You were just something else.


Summary

Lyle E. Style has accomplished two things with this book, either one of which could stand alone on its own merits. Style does both.

First, he provides us with a truly heartwarming account, however painful at times, of a legendary musical artist who has largely been forgotten. No doubt, there are other readers here who grew up listening to Roger Miller like I did. Those who go on to read Lyle's book will realize that, while we were listening to (and laughing at) all those funny, "cutesy" songs, many of Roger's musical masterpieces remained unheard. Or even worse, they were left unrecorded. It's as if some of his songs got stuck somewhere between Bakersfield and the dusty bank vaults of Tree Publishing (now Sony/CBS).

The second thing Mr. Style has done is give us an insider's glimpse into early Nashville in its heyday. We hear 1st-person narratives straight from those who lived it. Nashville in Roger Miller's day was a time of camaraderie between singers, songwriters, and even producers. Talent ruled the day, not young executives with lap tops. Grand Ol' Opry performers walked across the alley to Tootsie's Orchid Lounge for a drink between shows. Singers and songwriters met for guitar pulls to bounce songs off one another. Roger and Roy Clark would pull all-night joke marathons to see who would be left standing.  These stories and more are in these interviews.

Many of these storytellers have already passed away, and the graying music legends who remain aren't getting any younger. By gathering these legends all in one spot, Style, a Canadian, has preserved a valuable slice of our Americana history.

Even if you don't like Roger Miller's music or Roger Miller the man, you may find this book interesting for its historical value alone.

 

"All in all, it's safe to say there will never be another Roger Miller, not even close." (Fred Foster, songwriter)

[Fiddlstix]

Bump
To read later

[Nita Nupress]

Okay, now I feel bad. Buddy Emmons was in the book! Sheesh. See how rich this book is?

Roger loved little gadgets, little mechanical things.... locomotives, steamboats, things of that nature. We were in Australia one time and he had a steam engine that he bought in Sydney that was on a flad board. He had taken it up to his hotel suite. I walked in and he was playing with it. (p. 125)

[Little Bill]

First song I heard on my radio, Christmas present, in 1956.

[backhoe]

Artist/Band: Miller Roger
Lyrics for Song: King Of The Road
Lyrics for Album: All Time Greatest Hits
Trailer for sale or rent
Rooms to let...fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but..two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

Third boxcar, midnight train
Destination...Bangor, Maine.
Old worn out clothes and shoes,
I don't pay no union dues,
I smoke old stogies I have found
Short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

I know every engineer on every train
All of their children, and all of their names
And every handout in every town
And every lock that ain't locked
When no one's around.

I sing,
Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

[mrestyle]

"If I Can't..." is actually a super short song, like 60 seconds long. Roger did it on TNN in the late 80s or so.
Here's the lyrics taken from the ultimate song resource from Australia - www.rogermillermusic.com - that's the website to check out that you asked about.


Lyrics:
Oh the ways of love are hard enough, to understand as it is
Without you going out on me, and hurtin’ me like this
While other folks are makin’ love, we’re just makin’ do
If you won’t be my number one, number two on you

Well, if you won’t be my number one, number two on you
Out the back door down the path, you old two-timer you
Well who says you go run and play, while I go boo hoo hoo
If you won’t be my number one, number two on you

Oh there ain’t a claw in all the world, enough to scratch your itch
If lonely hours and whisky sours were gold, then I’d be rich
Well who says you hang out till one, while I stay up till two
If you won’t be my number one, number two on you

Well, if you won’t be my number one, number two on you
Out the back door down the path, you old two-timer you
While other folks are makin’ love, we’re just makin’ do
If you won’t be my number one, number two on you

---

I was told Roger had tons of half written songs like that which were never recorded/released. There are even albums in the vaults of unreleased Roger albums, I hope someday they release them. The problem is the licensing is INSANE to deal with. Try to find the people who own the publishing, rights, performed on an album from 1967 - not easy. Then add to that estates and copyright laws. The law can be an awful thing when it comes down to fans wanting more of their favorite artists.

In writing the book, a certain publishing company decided any lyrical references had to be removed or paid for (big bucks, especially for a 'po boy from Winnipeg who spent almost four years living off his credit card). I had to yank a ton of stories unfortunately that mentioned lyrics. Even one word references like "trailers" had to be removed. I couldn't even explain in the book why the lyrics were yanked, if I did, that company told me they would sue me for slander. I didn't realize the truth is considered slander until this experience. The real kick in the pants was that they didn't tell me this info until a few days before we went to press although they had at least six months notice.

Hopefully since I didn't mention the name of that four letter company, they won't sue me for telling that story here.

Like I said, licensing, permissions and all that stuff can be difficult. That's why it's so nice to have this Internet thing, cut & paste is a great tool.

You Tube is also an excellent way to find obscure stuff that will never be released for legal purchase.


Another point, for some time Roger was without a recording contract so us fans have the most to lose from those years because he was writing. Lots of stuff left unrecorded, even unpublished. It's sad.

If you don't have it already, you got to check out Roger's 1970 album, and the stuff right through the 70s. That's my favorite era anyway. Not a lot of hits, but his lesser known material is easily as good as the hits, you just need to listen to them a few times. This was when Roger quit the pills (because people found out they were bad for you) and moved on to the other things that people thought were good for you. Ah, the 70s. Too bad I spent the 70s in diapers and grade school. I was born 20 years too late.

[stands2reason]

My husband's grandpa was Bob Will's poker buddy.

One of my all time favorites...

"Here come them boys, Eldon and Leon (Or Tiny and Jimmy)! Haaaahhh!!"

[SaveTheChief]

Free At Last

I wish by golly I could spread my wings and fly
And let my grounded soul be free for just a little while
To be like eagles when they ride upon the wind
And taste the sweetest taste of freedom for my soul

CHORUS:
Then I'd be free at last, free at last
Great God Almighty I'd be free at last

To let my feelings lie where harm can not come by
And hurt this always hurtin' heart
That needs to rest awhile
I wish by golly I could spread my wings and fly
And taste the sweetest taste of freedom for my soul

CHORUS:
Then I'd be free at last, free at last
Great God Almighty I'd be free at last
I'd be free at last, free at last
Great God Almighty I'd be free at last

[Inyo-Mono]

I did meet Lefty's son, David, and Dottie's daughter, Shelley, in Branson once - the year they had such a hit (in our parts) of "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma." Also loved their "Texas State of Mind."

I met Shelley about that same time when I was in radio. She was prettier than all get out, and I still love listening to You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma and Texas State of Mind.

[Oberon]

That would be it. Draft beer, tomato juice and a splash of Tobasco.

I like these. Don't tell anyone, but you can make a good one with V8 juice...hot and spicy is best.

[Churchjack]

Ummm...wouldja like to see the shack Corsicana, Texas, shows off as the home of Lefty? LOL--- I'd like to get to the bottom of this!

[Nita Nupress]

How do you FIND his '70s material? Ebay? (Clark's site has them all listed in chronological order, for anyone who is interested: http://users.bigpond.net.au/clarks/album.html#album)


And about that "If I Can't..." song on TNN, if that was the late '80s then that tape should be out there somewhere, right? I would give my right arm to hear that! If you ever see it on YouTube, let me know.

And finally, of all those interviews you had to omit because of that copyright balONEY: Did any of them talk more about him getting clean? Do you remember?

[MaineVoter2002]

King Of The Road (the video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3fsMCxE1Zc

[Nita Nupress]

Ummm...wouldja like to see the shack Corsicana, Texas, shows off as the home of Lefty? LOL--- I'd like to get to the bottom of this!

I've never seen it. But you can bet I'll look for it the next time I'm headed that way!

[Oberon]

I suspect that people will be playing Jimmy Buffett in fifty years, but they won't be playing "Margaritaville." Instead, they'll be playing "Death of an Unpopular Poet" and "He Went to Paris."

[Cold Heat]

I still have his songs pop up out of nowhere in my head from time to time.

Great memories......

[Nita Nupress]

Here's a playlist with some more Roger Miller:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=ED9361BF19D622B2

And a playlist of Lyle's interviews, for anyone who missed it:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=82F833F135D14317

[mrestyle]

I found the rare 70s stuff from hunting in record shops for a few years (before ebay really hit). But yes, now ebay is your best bet for finding the rare material.

"#2 on you" is on the video tape "Roger Miller Remembered" - that was the TNN special that actually hooked me into his world. It's available on ebay, in fact, I think that guy is selling my copy of the show that I gave him in trade for a Johnny Cash Show.

Keep your right arm for now. Give me some time and I can see if I can get you a copy of some of that stuff. I only have one VCR that doesn't work too great, I have to start backing up my collection. Things like that should really be on You Tube instead of a bootlegger making cash of those items but my manager (nor myself) want to post it on You Tube because it wouldn't be legal and I don't want to upset any big name publishing house, whose name happens to be splattered on my TVs and electronics around my house.

The cut interviews...
Here's a part of the interview I did with Billy Walker, who died earlier this year in a tragic vehicle accident:

Billy: Well, I got real serious with Roger one time and I tried to talk him into leaving them pills alone. Cause I could see what they was doing to him.

Lyle: What was his response to that?

Billy: Well, he agreed with me, but that was about all.


- From what I recall no one really talked about him getting clean other than Gary Mule Deer, Waylon and Roy Clark (from the top of my head anyway). Most which was kept in the book. And from what I can tell, Roger's version of getting clean was just switching to something that no one told him was really bad for him (yet). As did many at that time, it was a topic of conversation between them, I imagine.

[I. Ben Hurt]

Haven't heard anyone mention Roger's tv show. It was great.

It's my belief, PRIDE, is the big cause in the decline

In the number of Husbands and Wifes.

[Nita Nupress]

Oh, now, that would be really cool about the video. Every since I read where you discovered Roger Miller on that '98 tv special, I've wanted to see it. I looked on Ebay for awhile but I've been burned there before. Let's just say it's not a safe place for me to shop (because I don't know what I'm doing!)

Thanks for that omitted interview. And also for the 3 names to go read again. I remembered the Waylon conversation but not the other two.

Okay, I have ONE more question for this evening. Well, two actually.

1. Do you have the entire manuscript in a Word doc or something that has a word count function? Probably not... it would be too big. HOWEVER,...

2. If you do, has anyone ever done a word count for the word "genius" and/or "creative/creativity?" I'm just dying to know. If you've done it, don't tell me; let me guess first!

[Nita Nupress]

Haven't heard anyone mention Roger's tv show. It was great.

You saw it? I'm so jealous. That was March of '98. I was probably distracted by what was going on with bill clinton about that time. January '98 was when Matt Drudge broke the Monica story.

But I've READ about it!

Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
March 9, 1998, Metro Edition

 He was king of the country road
 Noel Holston; Staff Writer


Very few country songwriters penned more hits than Roger Miller. Hank Williams and Willie Nelson come to mind, and that's about it. And for a match for Miller's sense of humor, you have to look farther afield, to lyricists such as Cole Porter and Randy Newman.

(snip - stuff about KOTR and Dang Me)

How in the world did a song so bleak and ironically remorseless ever get so high on the country charts, let alone cross over to the pop Top 40? Probably because it was sung with such rollicking mischief that the character's insincerity sailed right past most listeners.

(snip - blah, blah, blah)

Tuesday night he gets a sweet and deserved salute in "Roger Miller Remembered," a two-hour Nashville Network special. The guest lineup itself is a fair indication of what the country-music community thought of him: Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Kathy Mattea, Lyle Lovett, Clint Black, Kenny Rogers, Dwight Yoakam, the Mavericks. So is the fact that they did the show for union scale.

Miller's son Dean, who made an acclaimed debut as a recording artist last year, said he would have been surprised only if the big names hadn't shown up. "I've always known my dad had a broad, far-reaching influence," he said by phone from Nashville. "I've never met anybody who didn't like him. He never acted like a big star. He was nice to people."

Dean's rendition of "Toy Trains," a charming Christmas song his dad wrote for him years ago, is one of 20 Miller originals performed in the TNN special. "I never do my dad's songs live," he said. "I think it's a mistake to try to imitate him. But for this special, I felt like it was a unique enough situation that I should sing a song of his, and I thought that would be the most appropriate one."

Other highlights include Nelson's performance of "When Two Worlds Collide" (a hit for Miller in 1961, Jim Reeves in 1969 and again for Jerry Lee Lewis in 1980); Lovett's game, grinning go at the tricky "My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died," and the Mavericks' loping rendition of "Invitation to the Blues," featuring an encore verse by Ray Price, for whom it was a big hit in 1958.


Mask of humor

Between songs, there are clips of Miller performing on various TV shows, and reminiscences by family, friends and associates. Only one anecdote - the producer of "Big River" recalling how he had to lock Miller in his hotel room to get him to finish the delinquent libretto - hints of a darker side to Miller's personality.

"I'm not sure how many people knew that Roger," Kenny Rogers said by phone from his ranch in Georgia. "I think Roger's humor was his security blanket, and he used it so beautifully that whatever troubles he had, I don't think many of us were allowed in on."

What Rogers did see was a guy for whom amusing observations seemed as natural as breathing. "His mind worked in such strange ways," he said. "He told me once that he could tell he was gettin' older because he could still jump as high, he just couldn't stay up as long."

Mavericks bassist Robert Reynolds, who was 2 when "Dang Me" and "Chug-a-Lug" were huge crossover hits in 1964, represents another faction of Miller fans - those who literally grew up on his music.

"They seemed like funny little songs to me then," Reynolds said by phone from Nashville. "But now, as I've gotten older, I understand him a lot better and respect him wildly. There's this facade that's for children, but underneath there's all this adult content.

"It's deceiving stuff, because it comes off light and comedic, but his brilliance as a poet is still in there."

Reynolds said his delight in Miller's work "goes so far that, on the road when we're traveling, occasionally I'll bring out the Disney animated 'Robin Hood.' Roger's narration and the songs are real warming.

"No matter how glamorous the music business may seem, it's really not," he said. "Sometimes, you don't want to think about bills and taxes and things. It's almost like you want your mom there to fix you a grilled.

(snip)