Six Nations’ Derek Miller has been a stalwart on Canada’s rock/blues scene for the last two decades. He began his musical career touring with Buffy Sainte-Marie before releasing his debut album, Music is the Medicine, in 2002. His single from that album, Lovesick Blues, would go on to win him his first Juno for Aboriginal Recording of the Year in 2003. Miller would then repeat this feat in 2008, with his second album The Dirty Looks.
On stage, Miller is a true showman in the classic guy-with-a-guitar sense. A journeyman player, he tours relentlessly, doing show after show with his high-energy, super-tight stringmanship. His work has been compared with the likes of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Big Sugar, yet his sound continues to evolve.
The year 2010 proved a banner one for Miller. His third studio album, Derek Miller with Double Trouble, was praised critically and even saw the bluesman do a duet with Willie Nelson on the song Damned if you Do. Miller also performed in the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, showing his skills on guitar to a worldwide audience.
Highly respected by both his fans and his contemporaries, the performer, songwriter and guitar player is equally comfortable playing roots-rock, blues and even country. Auteur film director Jim Jarmusch perhaps described Miller best when he said, “He’s like Hank Williams and Link Wray on peyote."
This is the song "Girls" off of Miller's sophomore album The Dirty Looks.
Related links:
Derek Miller on Radio 3
How do you pick the best guitarist in Indian Country?
Link Wray’s influence on greatest rock guitarists of all time
posted by
Mike Green
on Mar 13, 2012