This is an excerpt from the print edition of Dirty Linen Magazine #100 (June/July 2002). the magazine is available on newsstands and by subscription.

Bill Miller

Facing the Wind
by Annette C. Eshleman

In 1998 Bill Miller released his eighth album, Ghostdance. It was his last high-profile recording project, and much has happened to the Native American folk artist since that time. Through good times and bad, Miller has managed to remain positive, to look forward, and to continue creating art that reflects his view of the larger world around him.

Ghostdance was recognized for its excellence when it secured five Native American Music Awards in 1999, opening doors for Miller that might otherwise have remained closed. One of those doors led to Vanguard Records, and the respected label signed him to a deal, released Ghostdance, and reissued his back catalog of independent recordings. Plans were soon put into motion for Miller to record his next album of new material for Vanguard.

In the meantime, Miller completed a recording which he has often described as a labor of love. Affectionately referred to as "the gospel project," Miller's 2000 release Hear Our Prayer [Integrity Music] is an album he claims he has long wanted to make. While the Christian recording introduced Miller to a whole new audience and provided a format for some of his more directly faith-oriented songs, it never really strayed from the message he's delivered all along: to have faith in one's self and in one's Creator.

An accomplished visual artist, Miller resumed painting in earnest and has sold several of his pieces through a fine arts gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His current medium of choice is four-foot-square canvases. Miller's painting style is one that he developed over time, rather than learned. His richly detailed works incorporate elements and symbolism from his Native American heritage, with themes often rooted in faith.

Miller sees little difference between the ideas he expresses in song and those he paints on canvas. "I'm just extending myself on the visual," he said of his paintings. "I don't try to separate the two. They're both extensions of what I do. It's just another way for me to extend my life in the arts." He added, "I've always loved to paint... When I'm off the road, I'm painting. So, it never ends for me. The creative process never ends."

In 2001 Miller was invited to participate in the "Trail of Painted Ponies," a charity fund-raiser benefitting youth-oriented arts and cultural programs in New Mexico. Artisans were asked to create painted works using a 5-foot by 7-foot cast polyurethane horse as the medium. One hundred and twenty of the three-dimensional works were created for sale via auction, private sale, and other special events. Miller's creation, "Ghost Horse," fetched an impressive $20,000.

Throughout his life and career, Miller has confronted many challenges and has recently faced another, having been robbed — twice — while on tour. On one occasion, his credit cards, cell phone, and airline tickets were taken, leaving him temporarily stranded. In another, still more disturbing incident, his priceless Ghostdance guitar was stolen. The instrument was made especially for Miller by the Takamine Company (and is pictured in the sleeve notes of the Ghostdance album). It has never been recovered, but an undeterred Miller has pressed on defiantly.