Recordings Julie Miller's first professionally released recording was with the group
Streetlight which consisted of Julie,
Buddy Miller, and Ron Krueger. The self-titled album was released in 1983. Julie and Buddy wrote some songs for the LP, including the original version of "Jesus in Your Eyes" (later re-recorded for
Orphans and Angels). "How Could You Say No" (written by Mickey Cates) was originally performed on this album and later included on Julie's solo debut
Meet Julie Miller. A 1985 demo tape recorded by Julie listed eight songs, but contained eleven. Two of these songs were later included on
Meet Julie Miller, but the remaining nine songs were not reissued. Songs on this tape include: "I Don't Need Anything Else", "Mystery Love" (Synth Pop Version), "Love Is", "I Look to You", "I Don't Need", "What Does it Take", "I Wanna Be Ready", "King of my Heart" (not the same as that which appeared later on her first Myrrh release), "My New Psychiatrist" (Synth Pop Version with different lyrics), "Debby Came Back", "Dangerous Place" (Synth Pop Version). Only one copy of this tape has seen circulation; it is unknown whether Julie used the tape to shop for a record label, or sold them at concerts. Julie's musical career initially took off after singer
Sam Phillips forwarded her demo tape to friends at
Myrrh Records. Myrrh signed Miller to a contract and released
Meet Julie Miller (her first solo album) in 1990. This album included backing vocals from
Shawn Colvin,
Victoria Williams,
Amy Grant,
Kelly Willard and
Russ Taff. Miller's second solo album
He Walks Through Walls (1991) also included backing vocals from Colvin, Williams, Grant and Willard.
Mark Heard and Reverend Dan Smith also contributed vocals. This album included the original version of the song "Broken Things", which was later re-recorded. Her 1993 album
Orphans and Angels included a duet with
Emmylou Harris on "All My Tears", which was written after the death of Mark Heard.
Jazz vocalist
Jimmy Scott also contributed vocals. Miller also covered Heard's song "Treasure of the Broken Land". Shawn Colvin once again contributed background vocals. The video of the song "S.O.S." from this album was released to Christian TV. Her fourth solo album
Invisible Girl was released by Street Level Records. Julie covered
The Williams Brothers song "
Can't Cry Hard Enough". Victoria Williams,
Mark Olson and
the Electrics provided background vocals. In 1997, Julie Miller released
Blue Pony (
Hightone Records) which includes contributions from
Emmylou Harris,
Buddy Miller, and
Valerie Carter. Her most recent solo album is
Broken Things in 1999, which includes new versions of "Broken Things" and "All My Tears" as well as new songs "I Know Why The River Runs," "Orphan Train," "Out in the Rain" and "I Still Cry." The song "By way of Sorrow" was a duet with
Innocence Mission's Karen Peris. In 2001, the first Buddy and Julie Miller duo album
Buddy & Julie Miller was released in 2001. This album won the Americana Music Association award for best album in 2002. Released in 2002,
Love Snuck Up was a compilation of the Millers' Hightone recordings. A Julie Miller compilation is planned, which will include tracks selected by Julie from her first four albums, which have been out of print for many years.
Work with other artists In 1987 Julie contributed background vocals to the song "Remember Me" on
Benny Hester's album
Through the Window. In 1992, Julie provided the title track for ''Cry of the Heart: Emily's Eyes'', an album released to bring hope to victims of child abuse. Julie mentioned after a 2002 concert in Kentucky that the song "Emily's Eyes" had one line edited out of it, as there was concern regarding the "implications". No further details were provided. In 1994, Julie and Buddy Miller recorded Mark Heard's "Orphans of God" which was the title track for the single CD Mark Heard Tribute album
Strong Hand of Love. They also assisted Victoria Williams on her version of "What Kind of Friend". Later that same year, both songs were included on the two-CD Mark Heard Tribute
Orphans of God, with the song "What kind of Friend" expanded by nearly a full minute. In 2022 Miller contributed a rendition of "That's Why We Don't Love God" to the
Randy Stonehill tribute album, "There's a Rainbow Somewhere." Julie's composition, "By Way of Sorrow," was an inspiration for the tone of
Cameron Crowe's movie
Vanilla Sky but the song was not featured in the film.
Covers of Julie Miller songs Many artists have recorded songs composed by Julie Miller, and Julie and Buddy. See the
list of songs written by Buddy and Julie Miller for an extensive list. After the 1998
Omagh bombing in
Northern Ireland, local singer Juliet Turner performed a version of Miller's song "Broken Things" at a memorial service for the victims of the bombing.
Touring and performing Julie and Buddy Miller teamed up with Victoria Williams, Mark Olson, and
Jim Lauderdale for a European tour billed as "The Rolling Creek Dippers" in the 90s. ==Personal life==