Veteran guitarist Larry Miller is still hoping for the kind of career boost that made Jimi Hendrix a star – only he needs it in reverse.
He’s been touring since the 1970s, but he’s never managed to leave the UK – and he believes being taken out of his home nation will help make him a big name.
Miller tells the Crawley Times: “I’m one of those guys who has been around for ages – people know about me but haven’t seen me.
“My big problem is that I haven’t left the UK. Chas Chandler took Jimi Hendrix out of America to England, and suddenly he became huge. They all knew about him in American, but they took him for granted.”
He adds: “Jesus didn’t perform miracles in his home town.”
But Miller remains grateful for what the blues has brought him. “I was rubbish at school at everything – but I could do this,” he says.
“It wasn’t until I started playing the 12-bar format on an acoustic guitar that I thought, ‘Wow, this is unbelievable!’”
He’s still inspired by the work of Rory Gallagher, noting: “I love the full-on approach, the passion you get from it. That’s what I want to hear.
“Young players talk about technique – but they forget music is about more than notes. It’s about reaching out to the audience with your heart.”
Miller released ninth album Soldier Of The Line last year. He’s currently touring the UK and Europe:
Jul 23: Stourbridge River Rooms, UK
Jul 24: Chesterfield Real Time, UK
Jul 25: Doncaster Leopard, UK
Jul 31: Crawley Hawth Studio, UK
Aug 08: Frome Cheese and Grain, UK
Aug 28: Norfolk Harbour Rooms, UK
Aug 29: Gravesend Red Lion, UK
Sep 05: Coolham Village Hall, UK
Sep 09: Luxembourg La Brasserie Le Neumunster, Luxembourg
Sep 10: Leverkusen Tropos Jazz, Germany
Sep 11: Dortmund Blue Notez, Germany
Sep 12: Joldelun Gerd’s Juke Joint, Germany
Sep 13: Oostburg The Lane, Netherlands
Sep 19: Winchester Railway, UK
Sep 25: Great Torrington Plough, UK
