INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

And now the guy

Buddy Miller is one of the treasures of Americana music. A musician’s musician, Miller has a loyal fan base among guitarists and singer/songwriters, and is in hot demand as a bandleader for touring musicians. He even has a Fender acoustic guitar named for him. Miller was honored at the 2007 Americana Music Association’s awards as the Instrumentalist of the Year. His latest solo record, Universal United House of Prayer, won the AMA’s Album of the Year and the opening cut, “Worry Too Much,” was awarded Song of the Year in 2005.

Miller has played shows with or recorded with musicians as diverse as Lucinda Williams, Robert Plant, and Steve Earle. As a songwriter, his songs have been covered by the Dixie Chicks, LeeAnn Womack and Jim Lauderdale, among others. His track record as a producer is just as impressive, including his five solo records and the Grammy-nominated album he made with his wife, songwriter Julie Miller.

Miller has history with the “Three Girls” on the tour, having worked and recorded with each of them in the past. He tapped the young Shawn Colvin to sing and play guitar in his NYC band, The Buddy Miller Band, in 1980. He was Emmylou Harris’s bandleader in Spyboy and produced her live album by that name. Miller toured with Patty Griffin and Harris as part of the Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue collaborative show.

Miller’s own records are a blend of soulful country and honky-tonk and heartfelt ballads. He is working on his next album, which is expected to be out this year.