Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits
1966 - LP - Capitol Records
​
Side One
1) Downtown
2) The Shadow Of Your Smile
3) A Hard Day's Night
4) Dear Heart
5) Chim Chim Cher-ee
6) These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
​
Side Two
1) A Lover's Concerto
2) Let's Hang On
3) Catch A Falling Star
4) Gonna Be Like That
5) My Love
​
History
Mrs. Miller blasts onto the music scene in 1966 with this revolutionary debut. Produced by Lex De Azevedo and with musical direction by Fred Block. Future Laugh-In announcer Gary Owens contributes linear notes, who used Mrs. Miller for radio promos at KMPC in Los Angeles.
Liner Notes
Several years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing one of the most interesting voices extant... one that brings to mind the tonal qualities of a Florence Foster Jenkins or a Mrs. B. J. Fangman.
The voice belongs to Mrs. Elva Miller, a charming lady who lives in the pretty little Hollywood suburb of Claremont, California, with her husband, Mr. Miller. As a young girl, Elva was very interested in music and took vocal lessons for seven years. The impeccable diction found in her singing style is probably due, in part, to the fact that she has listened to opera recordings very closely. As you recall, Mrs. Miller was one of the founders of the Foothill Drama and Choral Society... in which she served as executive secretary.
At the request of her family she stopped singing in public because of the strain of becoming too involved in public life... so in place of her many civic appearances, she took up recording... and for the last seven years, Mrs. Miller has been driving to Hollywood from Claremont to make recordings for her own pleasure.
As in many show business stories, a gentleman connected with the industry was immediately impressed by the singer's ability... and the wheels of progress began to grind! The gentleman was Fred Bock, ingenuous young organist and arranger. Fred apparently was so whelmed by Mrs. Miller's recordings that he brought one of them to the attention of Lex de Azevedo (pronounced Lex) who came up with the concept of this album you're hearing.
"Gonna Be Like That" was written especially for Elva by her producer to demonstrate her "flexibility" in singing everything from religious music to hard core rock and roll... running the musical gamut, so to speak.
Her recent success has certainly not gone to her head... as a matter of fact, following her scintillating "Downtown" session of singing and whistling... Mrs. Miller did a turn about... she modestly asked for the autographs of Harland, the engineer, Merv, the maintenance fellow, and Louise, the stenographer who works for Belvin, at Du-Par's Restaurant.
Mrs. Miller explained her theory of using ice in the mouth prior to whistling, to achieve utmost pitch. "The skin expands and contracts depending on heat and cold..." she continued . . . "therefore the pitch can be better controlled in this manner!" This method is now being experimented with, and undergoing tests at several midwestern schools.
So, much success to Mrs. Miller... when you hear the Miller Sound I'm sure you'll agree... that here is a most interesting new voice for your record collection.
Gary Owens - KMPC
​
​
​
Downtown / A Lover's Concerto
1966 - 45 Single - Capitol Records
​
Side One
1) Downtown
​
Side Two
1) A Lover's Concerto
​
History
Mrs. Miller's first commercial single is the song that makes her famous. It is unsure if the single was released before or after the Greatest Hits LP. "Downtown," a cover of the Petula Clark hit, is still the most famous song of her career.
​
​
​
Mrs.Miller Open-End Interview
1966 - Promotional LP - Capitol Records
​
Side One
1) Interview
2) Downtown
​
Side Two
1) Lover's Concerto
2) The Shadow of Your Smile
3) Happy Birthday
​
History
This record was intended to be used by local disc jockeys to stage a fake interview with Mrs. Miller, by reading prepared questions between Elva's responses.
​
​
​
Capitol Pops for April '66!
1966 - Promotional LP - Capitol Records
​
Side One
Unknown
​
Side Two
1) Downtown
2) A Lover's Concerto
​
History
Capitol features two Mrs. Miller songs on this eairly promotional LP.
​
​