COMBO member – The AWESOME Hazel Miller! (Photo by and courtesy of David Barber of Rock on Colorado.com & Possibility Promotion)
Hazel Miller sends ‘thank you’ note on 4/03/17: I am feeling loved! I’m feeling speechless…Ha, Ha… Hazel Miller speechless… But it’s true. Family, friends and fans have sent money, blessings and prayers to me for days now.
I’m able to pay my bills because of you. I’m able to rest without serious worry. I promise that I will be back this summer with renewed faith and hope. My band has been so unselfish and loving. You all keep surprising me with visits, calls, texts of love and prayers.
I want to be worthy of all this love and attention. I promise to give be there for you when you need me. I’m humbled by your generosity. I’m grateful to so many for helping me get back to my life. Your willingness to help me survive is astounding to me! I’m not used to accepting gifts. So if I seem late saying thank you, please forgive me. Know that I love you all and I appreciate you all. I’m resting and sleeping a lot… thanks to my new meds.
Summer is looking good for the band. My Leah is graduating in May. Josef has joined the track team. Trinity is about to go to Middle School. I hope to sing on the encore again with BHT&M. My band is planning a new CD. I have a second chance to make beautiful music. All because God gave me a chance to know that I am loved.
I love you all so much! Thank you! To everyone! Thank you so much!
* * * * *
Hazel Miller is not just a great singer, “she is a force of nature!” quotes the Rocky Mountain News. Her voice has been called “stunning, moving and powerful.” Hazel has been a sought after performer in Colorado for the past 30+ years. Whether she is singing blues, jazz, pop, or Gospel, her voice charges the songs with a primal dose of genuine soul.
Hazel began her career in Louisville, Kentucky, where she rose to the top of the music scene. In 1984, Hazel attempted to relocate with her two children to Los Angeles to further her musical career. Her rental truck broke down in Denver, Colorado, and the long delay meant she needed to get her kids in school so she decided to stay. LA’s loss was Denver’s gain! Soon the Hazel Miller Band was performing at all the major jazz and music festivals throughout Colorado and she became a household name in the region.
KBCO 97.3 DJ, Bret Saunders said in a recent Denver Post article, “I’ve arrived at the conclusion that Hazel Miller can sing any song she wants, convincingly. Miller has been a fixture on the Denver music scene for more than three decades, and her strong vocal presence is omnipresent in the city. Miller and her band frequently play shows at just about every notable area destination, from Herman’s Hideaway to Red Rocks (with longtime collaborators Big Head Todd And The Monsters). You can usually expect raucous soul and funk from Miller, but when she decides to go down that path, her jazz chops are spot on.”
Career highlights include:
– A regular performer on the ETown Radio Show, airing on NPR & hundreds of stations across the country
– The Westword Readers Poll “Best Blues/R&B” band for three consecutive years, 1995, 1996, and 1997 & Best Independent Blues-R&B Recording- 2002 & Outstanding Performer at Red Rocks Amphitheater
– Hazel appeared in “The Vagina Monologues” in CO, receiving a local award for ‘Best Local Star in a Theatrical Production”
– Hazel often sings, the National Anthem for the Denver Broncos, Rockies, Nuggets & Avalanche Teams
– The city of Denver singled out Hazel as one of 150 people who make Denver a better place to live. This award was bestowed by the mayor on Nov 22, 2008 at the Colorado History Museum. Hazel’s voice can even be heard welcoming visitors taking the trains to the main terminal at Denver International Airport.
– Ms. Miller sang on 6 tracks of the hit 2014 CD Blues Masters 3. This CD featured Mickey Thomas from Jefferson Starship & Tim Tucker. The reviews said: “Miller’s vocals would rival Koko Taylor”.
– Hazel performed at the FIS Alpine Ski Championships in Beaver Creek, C0 in 2015; with an estimated international television audience of 180,000,000 viewers.
– Hazel has sung with or opened for such artists as Julian Lennon, Peter, Paul & Mary, Charlie Musselwhite, Leo Kottke, Bob Weir, Herbie Hancock, Pop Staples, Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Lonnie & Ronnie Baker Brooks, Lou Rawls, Rickie Lee Jones, James Taylor, Joe Sample, Al Green, Michael McDonald, and many more.
Hazel Miller has long been a supporter of her fellow musicians & too many charities to count. Hazel founded & operates an annual ‘Jazzed’ musical fundraising event for Denver’s Inner City Health Center. Many times, this health center has provided Hazel with reduced cost health care when insurance coverage was lacking. This is her way of giving back to them.
Anyone who has seen Hazel lately can bear witness to the healthy transformation she has been undergoing in recent years. After being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, Hazel worked hard to lose 50 plus pounds and re-learned to cook her southern favorites in a healthy manner. “It’s a bunch of little bitty battles, that’s the only way to win the war,” Miller said in a recent CBS interview. In typical Hazel fashion, she worked to inspire others by sharing her inspirational story with others at the American Diabetes expo in 2015.
Recently, Hazel’s ‘heart of gold’ has been undergoing some challenges of its own. 2013 & 2015 brought two surgeries to repair an Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) heartbeat abnormality. Add in a car accident where a texting driver totaled Hazel’s car & landed her into physical therapy to re-gain functionality, it has been an expensive medical journey.
This March, Hazel suffered a heart attack with emergency surgery to implant a stent. As a self-employed performer, medical insurance and the corresponding deductibles will be a large financial burden to handle. Through it all Hazel has soldiered on and found her way and continued her life-long passion to perform. We need your help today to raise funds to cover living expenses, to allow Hazel time to recover & help with medical expenses.
Hazel fully intends to be back on stage wowing audiences this summer!
http://sweetrelief.org/program/hazel-miller-fund/
To donate online click the DONATE NOW link.
To donate by check, write check to:The Hazel Miller Fund at Sweet Relief
Mail to:
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
2601 East Chapman Ave., Suite 204
Fullerton, CA 92831
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity. Federal ID# 95-4443269
If you wish to donate items, services or develop a fund-raising event please contact us at info@sweetrelief.org or call 949-715-4606