Miller professional career began in New Orleans at 16, with his recording debut occurring in 1930 with Julie Wintz. He worked in
Ben Pollack's orchestra and then stayed when
Bob Crosby took over its leadership. He stayed with Crosby until the band broke up in 1942. He played on
Glenn Miller's first release under his own name in 1935 on the Columbia Records 78 single release "
Solo Hop". He had his own band for a brief time after that, before being drafted. However, he was discharged from the military early because of illness and settled in
Los Angeles. After that he worked with
Pete Fountain, appeared in most of Crosby's reunions, and did club work. He also played with trumpeter
Al Hirt. Miller was also a
songwriter, with his best-known song being "Slow Mood," later known as "Lazy Mood" after
Johnny Mercer noticed the tune and composed lyrics. Miller was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1998. He won numerous
Playboy and
Esquire Jazz polls. Miller finished his career with
Pete Fountain, living in New Orleans. While with the Pete Fountain organization, he was featured as the lead saxophonist at the 1971 and 1972 Greenwood Arts Festivals (Greenwood, Mississippi). Digitized recordings are available through the Delta Jazz Collection. == Personal life ==