Joseph
"UJ" Miller I
was born in Belleville, IL and now reside is St. Louis
where I’ve lived for almost seven years now, seems
longer! My
favorite instrument is an Alvarez acoustic guitar, its
just so smooth and sounds oh so good! I'm a third generation
musician, my grandfather use to perform all over St. Louis
and all of southern Illinois, he had that live charm and
spark that you rarely see out there. My dad and brother
both play guitar and piano and we all jam out occasionally-
I use to listen to a lot of Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry and
BB King! And still do! I love it when Gatemouth Brown
or Michael Burks come around. There are so many others
but I just get out when I can to enjoy local blues as
well!My first self produced CD came out this year. It's titled Back Alley Blues and Beyond and includes so much more than just blues. I wrote all the songs and they are each recorded solo and acoustic with that live, raw and soulful sound. It was quite an interesting experience. One of my favorite music moments was my first cd release party. It was so much fun and I was fortunate to play with family and friends on stage. It was special. My favorite gig is Schefferts Country Store, in Baldwin, IL. It's unique, antique and one of a kind. I grew up singing since I was 4 or 5. Talent Shows were so much fun and I joined bands that never developed. But now I just enjoy music any chance I get and take it all as it comes. I enjoy being an independent artist but love colaborating with others as well. I just look forward to being able to perform and share my music. I hope to maybe produce another cd in the next year or two. Maybe playing live lots more. Just enjoying music, mine or yours, its all good. I think the state of Blues is very good. Lots of new talent out there as well - it's good to see that and hopefully we can all keep turning younger folks on and keep preserving and promoting the blues. It's a great community and seems most folks help each other out. Theres always a gig every night to check out and always new interest, it's a good thing! |