Miller performed in clubs on
Beale Street, in
Memphis, Tennessee, when that area was a flourishing center of nightlife, playing with such entertainers as
Gatemouth Moore, Maurice Hulbert, Jr., and
Ma Rainey. He played with bandleaders
Tuff Green and Phineas Newborn, Sr. Miller formed his own band, Bowlegs & His Band, in the early 1960s, playing regularly at Memphis clubs, including the Flamingo Room, Club Handy, and Currie's Club Tropicana and, later, the Rosewood, Club Paradise, and the Manhattan Club. He directed, arranged, written, produced and played with many leading entertainers, such as
Otis Redding,
Jerry Butler,
B.B. King,
Bobby "Blue" Bland,
Al Green,
Denise LaSalle,
Nancy Wilson,
Rufus Thomas,
Sam & Dave,
Onzie Horne,
Etta James,
Ollie Nightingale,
Johnny Nash,
James Carr, and
Willie Mitchell. He promoted
Sugar Hill Gang and
LL Cool J. Also, he entertained many jazz audiences with entertainers such as
Julian "Cannonball" and
Nat Adderley,
Dizzy Gillespie,
Nina Simone,
Phineas Newborn, Jr., and many others. Miller was the orchestral leader for
WDIA Radio Station Starlight and Goodwill Revues. He also worked as the southern independent record promoter for
Island,
Atlantic,
Arista, and
CBS Records of New York. He recorded at
Sun Studio,
Mercury Studio,
Malaco Records, Home of the Blues and
Muscle Shoals. He was a regular session player at
Fame Studios playing on such hits as “
Tell Mama” by
Etta James, "
Slip Away" by
Clarence Carter, “
Hey Jude” by
Wilson Pickett. Miller was a native Memphian and graduate of
Booker T. Washington High School. Miller married his wife Frances Miller Harris in 1956 and they had one son together. He died on December 25, 1987 in
Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 54. His wife lived in
Memphis, Tennessee then moved to
Carson, California where she died on November 22, 2020. He was honored by the Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame in 2011. ==Discography==