Believe it or not, singer/storyteller and multi-instrumentalist Bill Miller grew up with polka music.
"I had cousins who played polka," Miller during a telephone interview from Pocatello. "That was an interesting mix, because my family is American Indian."
Miller, who is of Mohican and German descent, will play the University of Utah's Fine Arts Auditorium on Saturday, April 7. The musical storytelling will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door.
"My first gig was actually in a polka band when I was 11 years old," Miller said. "One of my uncles played accordion and had played with Lawrence Welk."
Throughout his formative years, Miller found himself drawn to all kinds of music, thanks to another uncle. "He got me into Bob Dylan when everyone was singing 'Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got love in my tummy.' I also got into (Jimi) Hendrix, because he was someone I could really relate to. Here was a black man playing psychedelic rock who had to move to England to make it big."
One reason Miller turned to music was because of the alcoholism and abuse he observed when his family lived on the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation in Wisconsin. "I began to escape with music. I think I really began listing to music more intently than the rest of the kids my age because of what I was going through."
Miller was an art student when he answered the call of music. "It was my drawing professor who gave me the advice," Miller said with a laugh. "He was a good friend of mine, and we went to lunch. He told me that my drawings would always make money for me, that I didn't need a degree to prove my art. But he also said, 'You have music in your soul. Quit school and hit the road with it.' "
Miller did. Although his wife thought he was crazy, he found playing music was just as rewarding as drawing. But he also found it was more of a challenge because of his race. "There were people who liked my demos, but once they met me, they became uncomfortable. They would always quiz me. 'You're not going to sing about Indian issues, right?' or 'You're good. We like you, but we can't put you on the stage, because the audience doesn't want to see an Indian playing folk songs.' "
After a few years of performing cover tunes to pacify promoters, Miller hooked up with John Prine, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Michael Martin Murphy. "They put me on their stages and wanted me to play my songs and be truthful. I'm very thankful for them. They helped me get to the next level.
"And that's where I am now. My concerts are like a musical ceremony. And I want to take my audience to new levels in their lives."
E-mail: scott@desnews.com