John Miller

New York City native John Miller took a degree in string bass from the University of Michigan, then returned to home to Manhattan in the late '60s and began a lengthy career as a session and backup musician, building up an extensive list of recording and performing credits ranging from major pop/rock artists (Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Madonna) to jazz (Ornette Coleman, Woody Herman, Gil Evans), R&B (James Brown, Luther Vandross, P. Diddy), and folk (Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, John Denver) musicians. In addition, starting with the Broadway show I Love My Wife (1977), he took on the tasks of music coordinator or music contractor for New York stage musicals (a job involving hiring other musicians), to the extent that he became one of the dominant figures in the field and was credited on dozens of cast recordings of the 1990s and 2000s. On September 15, 2008, PS Classics released Miller's debut solo album, Stage Door Johnny: John Miller Takes on Broadway, on which he sang and played acoustic guitar. ~ William Ruhlmann