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! |
