Jill Miller
Recently, Jill took a leap of faith and quit her \"real job\" to follow God\'s calling to full-time music ministry. She is a songwriter who shares from the heart and is not ashamed to share her faith struggles and disappointments as well as the incredible ways her life has been blessed. Each of her songs has a story, and through her songs Jill is willing and open to sharing the struggles and pain, the joys and hope, and the mystery and wonder of living in a fallen world. Jill is a straightforward, honest, take-me-as-I-am kind of person, and she maintains that authenticity on stage. She connects with her audience in a very real and intimate way.
Jill has opened for acts such as Brian Littrell (of the Backstreet Boys), performed with NewSong, and sang the national anthem for President Bush and 11,000 people. Whether she\'s singing before 11,000 or 30, Jill gives every performance her all and loves sharing her gift of music.
Jill still lives in her hometown of Sioux City, Iowa, along with her husband, John, and their four sons. She devotes much of her time to taking care of her family and writing and performing every chance she gets. She has been singing pretty much her entire life, beginning at age 5 when she joined her four sisters in their singing group. She has been in a variety of Christian, country, and rock and roll groups since her senior year in high school.
Jill\'s songwriting began in high school as well. In 1989 Jill began recording some of her material with a friend from her hometown. They soon put together a few demos, went to Nashville, and were thrilled when one of their songs was published. In July of 2002 Jill realized a dream when she headed to Nashville with her sister, Barb, and recorded her first CD of original songs entitled \"My Offering.\" Her latest CD is entitled \"Butterfly.\" Jill travels to Nashville about once a month to continue her efforts to get in the Nashville circles as a songwriter.
Besides doing her Christian shows, Jill is also in an exciting new secular group called \"Girlfriend.\" The group consists of Jill, her sister Barb Johnson, and Colene Walters on vocals. Their beautiful 3-part harmonies shine on covers that range from the McQuire Sisters and Andrews Sisters to country to rock and roll and everything in between. They also perform some of Jill\'s original songs. They have an awesome band behind them that consists of Sam Irish on bass, Charles Sanders on keyboard, Ray Guntren on guitar, Steve Peterson on drums, and Kathy Angeroth on fiddle. The guys are all incredible musicians, and combined with the powerful vocals Girlfriend\'s shows are full of fun, action, and great music. Check out their website at girlfriend-music.com.
\"I believe that God has given us this truly amazing gift of music. There is nothing else on earth that can work so powerfully in people\'s lives,\" says Jill. It is her prayer that through her music she can touch, encourage and inspire lives.
Influences
Amy Grant, Eva Cassidy, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Hank Williams Sr.
Sounds Like...
Amy Grant, Shania Twain, Allison Krauss