Although relatively forgotten today, Ray Miller was a well-known, extensively recording bandleader in the 1920s. Ray Miller's musical career started in 1916 when he was a singing waiter at the Casino Gardens restaurant in Chicago. Later, in New York, he started his first band called the Black and White Melody Boys. As long as the jazz craze stayed on, they played in the style of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Ray was even able to hire a musician who had been a member of the first white band to go north from New Orleans, trombonist Tom Brown of Brown's Band from Dixieland. Brown was essential to produce the Original Dixieland Jazz Band sound in Ray Miller's band, as some records that were made in these early years for several companies demonstrate. By 1922 Brown had returned to New Orleans. By the end of 1923, Miller's band was playing the newest hits in the latest style and was offered an exclusive recording contract by Brunswick, The 1925 Brunswick catalog names Ray Miller's band as one of their exclusive artists and adds that they are playing a permanent engagement at "Broadway's new million dollar ballroom, The Arcadia". In September 1926, Ray Miller made his final recording in New York. This recording equally dates from the latter year. His whereabouts till October 1927 are unknown but by that time he had moved to Cincinnati for an engagement at the Hotel Gibson. By this time Ray Miller had assembled a new band actually made records in Cincinnati too, and they turned out to be some of Miller's best; made by a Brunswick mobile recording unit, around February 1st 1928. In June 1928, Ray Miller still had the band at the Hotel Gibson, but by the time the next selections were recorded, the Cincinnati engagement had ended. Ray retired to Chicago where he had started his musical career nearly ten years earlier and again he formed a completely new band. On October 1, he opened at the College Inn of the Hotel Sherman. From January 1929, the band started a recurring series of special Brunswick transcriptions for the National Advertising Company. As for this great record, it was made during the latter session. Personnel: Ray Miller dir: Max Connett, Lloyd Wallen, t Muggsy Spanier, c / Jules Fasthoff, tb / Jim Cannon, cl, as / Maurice Morse, as / Lyle Smith, ts / Paul Lyman, vn / Art Gronwall, p, a / Al Carsella, pac / Leon Kaplan, bj, g / Jules Cassard, bb, sb / Bill Paley, d / Bob Nolan, v.