Roger Miller: Wit, Wisdom, and Wonder

Roger Miller: Wit, Wisdom, and Wonder opens at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday, November 6, and runs through Wednesday, March 3, 2028. It's a long run, so there's plenty of time to catch it.

If you only know Miller from the radio, you've only got a small part of the picture. He was a country-pop superstar in the 1960s, writing crossover hits like "Dang Me" and "King of the Road" that earned him eleven Grammy awards at the height of the British Invasion. But he didn't stop at the recording studio. He was a songwriter, singer, fiddler, guitarist, and drummer; he starred in film and television, headlined in Las Vegas, and wrote for the Broadway stage. He wrote every song for the musical Big River, which won seven Tonys and earned him a Tony for Best Original Score—the first country artist to ever win that award.

His wit was as much a part of his reputation as the music. Nashville songwriters used to trail him around town just to collect the lines that flew from his mouth. He counted Bill Anderson and Willie Nelson among his closest friends and left his mark on artists ranging from John Prine to Toby Keith and Kacey Musgraves. The exhibition takes in that whole range, from the chart-topping hits to the Broadway stage and the legendary sense of humor that made him a fixture in the city.

The museum is at 222 Rep. John Lewis Way S in downtown Nashville. Admission to the exhibition is included with museum admission, and it's free for members.