Miller was born as Ernest P. Burden on June 10, , in Raceland, Louisiana. Then came the cornet and, later, trombone and trumpet, for which he received lessons from a number of different musicians, including the legendary Professor James Humphrey. While still in his teens, Miller played informally with local dance and pick-up bands in Raceland and surrounding rural areas.
During World War I , Miller was an army corporal and bugler, and his time in the military afforded him additional training on his instrument.
After his discharge he settled in New Orleans and formed his own band, Delegates of Pleasure, which would quickly become one of the more popular groups in the city. In or , Miller settled in Chicago, the city that would become his home base for the next two decades. Miller remained in Chicago until the mids, accompanying blues artists Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red on recordings.
Miller also did work with Silas Green in the s. In Miller returned to New Orleans to live and work full-time, taking on handyman jobs to supplement music gigs. As for so many other musicians of the earliest generation of jazz , the late s and s were an important time. These sessions were instrumental in leading to the creation of Preservation Hall in Miller was recorded by Folkways in and by the Icon label in After the formation of Preservation Hall, he also recorded for Atlantic and Imperial.
A tour of Japan with George Lewis came in Borenstein, Larry, and Bill Russell. Preservation Hall Portraits. Gushee, Lawrence, and Alan Lomax. Berkeley: University of California Press, Multiple interview dates, β Subscription Give as a Gift.
