Buddy & Julie Miller 2001 MP3 224 VBR

"We were actually in shock," says Buddy Miller of the Americana Music Assocation's recent decision to give the "Album of the Year" award to Buddy and Julie Millers' 2001 self-titled debut album, written mostly by Julie. "We just didn't think we were going to be winning. I don't know why ? we knew we were up for it. We were backstage at the time, going over the lines we had to read to make a presentation to Emmylou [Harris], and Julie was actually on her way up to go tothe bathroom," he laughs. Then I said, "You better wait just a second," because we were up for this. "You'll want to hear who won." We thought, you know, Gillian [Welch] and David [Rawlings] ? we're huge fans of theirs, and I guess, maybe, assumed they were going to we. We would have voted for them if we could have voted."



If you listen to alt.country at all, though, it doesn't take much to see why the Millers won or their artistry at work, defined, in part, by a questioning spiritual/secular duality. (They've been married since 1981 though they've played together since the mid-'70s when they met in an Austin band, Rick Stein and the Alleycats.) Buddy is a respected musician and producer ? that's him playing in Emmylou Harris' Spyboy band, working with Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, and Patty Griffin (among others), and producing artists like Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Vigilantes of Love. Julie's songs have been covered by a range of musicians, including Harris, the Dixie Chicks, and Lee Ann Womack.