Roger liked writing songs. He also wanted to perform his own songs on the stage. He recorded several records, but they were not popular and did not sell many copies. In Nineteen-Sixty, Roger recorded a song called “You Don’t Want My Love.” Today, the song is better known as “In the Summer Time.” It is the first song he wrote and sang that became popular.
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VOICE TWO (cont):
“In the Summer Time” sold many copies. It showed record company officials that Roger Miller was a good performer.
VOICE ONE:
On January Tenth, Nineteen-Sixty-Four Roger Miller agreed to record sixteen songs. One of those songs was “Dang Me.” It became his first number one selling record. It was a hit with country music fans and with popular music fans too. It sold millions of copies.
Another funny song recorded at the same time also became a major hit. It is called “Chug-a-lug”.
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VOICE TWO:
Roger Miller became extremely popular as the result of the success of “Dang Me” and “Chug-A-Lug”. He began appearing on television. His records sold by the millions. But it was another record that made him extremely famous. Roger often told the story about how he wrote his most famous song. He was driving late at night near the middle western city of Chicago. He saw a sign near the road. Written on the sign were the words, “Trailers for Sale or Rent.”
VOICE TWO(cont):
The words stayed in his head and would not go away. Later, he used those words as the opening of his most famous song, “King of the Road.” Like many of his other songs it was popular with country fans and with popular music fans as well. It is played often on radio stations throughout the United States.
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VOICE ONE:
Rocco Landesman once taught at the School of Drama at Yale University. He really liked Roger Miller’s music. Mister Landesman wrote several letters asking if Roger could write the music for a play that would appear on Broadway in New York. The story would be taken from Mark Twain’s famous book, ”Huckleberry Finn.”
Roger agreed to write the music for the show called “Big River.” It opened on Broadway in April of Nineteen-Eighty-Five. It was a big hit. “Big River” received seven Tony Awards. Roger Miller won two for the music he wrote.
VOICE ONE(cont):
The most popular song from the show is called “River in the Rain.” The song is about the Mississippi River. Roger sings it here.
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Roger Miller died of lung cancer Nineteen-Ninety-Two. People who knew him say his songs expressed the way he felt about life…full of pure excitement and joy.
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VOICE ONE:
This Special English program was written by Paul Thompson and produced by Caty Weaver. This is Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Sarah Long. Listen again next week for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.
