From Billy Bayou to Oo-De-Lally!
Hailing from Oklahoma, but clearly adopting the ’60s Nashville Sound, Mr. Miller had hits with Dang Me and England Swings.
Although no tune came close to being as widespread as his King Of The Road, Roger Miller’s signature song, or maybe there is one…
Before Roger started recording these hits which came from albums between 1964-66, he’d been releasing singles and writing for other artists since the 50s.
His best-performing tune for another artist is the #1 he had in Billy Bayou for Jim Reeves (1958).
In 1969 he recorded Me and Bobby McGee, a tune Kris Kristofferson wrote but Roger recorded first, even before Janis. But that’s not the one everyone knows…
In 1973, Roger Miller had another hit that entered the public consciousness, perhaps even more than King Of The Road, we just don’t connect it with him. It’s Oo-De-Lally from the animated film Robin Hood!
Now that you know, you can hear how it’s got that characteristic Roger Miller melody writing, right?
To understand how Roger pens a hit, analyze:
- The chord progression as Roman numerals
- What intervals of the melody relate to each chord
- The rhythm of the melody
If you don’t want to write hits so you can live in a mansion with a pool and a private tennis court, you should still study his writing and apply it to your solo improvisations.
Again, focus on the three points above since they are the fabric of all music.
Roger Miller Tunes | Related Pages
King Of The Road
You can learn how to play King Of The Road by Roger Miller using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, TAB, and the original recording.
| Bb | Eb | F | Bb |
Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let, 50 cents…
Me and Bobby McGee
You can learn how to play Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, ad the original recordings.
| G | G |
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin’ for a train…
Roger Miller on the web
Artists & Bands
Behind every single tune you learn, there’s an artist or band with an entire catalogue of music, waiting to be discovered.
Find out more about these great Artists & Bands, and let their tunes guide you to success.
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was an article about Roger Miller tunes, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
