STAR CAR TUNES ROGER MILLER “KANSAS CITY STAR” BILLBOARD CHART #31 1965

Roger Miller was the last of the good time guys. He was a frat party waiting to happen long before John Belushi and Animal House caused every drunken kid in a bed sheet to sing endless loop off-key versions of “Louie Louie”. Roger was the real deal, the true “King of the Road” troubadour and no Star Car Tune list would be complete without Roger ‘Dodger’ Miller.

Kansas City Star is a classic example of how Roger could turn a phrase. Genius without the Big Mac like marketing machine of guys like Jimmy Buffett-a phrase-turner himself in his early days but a man with no soul and a Fortune 500 attitude  towards his fans now.

Roger is the only guy that could pull off a line like “Kansas City star, that’s what I are” and leave them wanting more.
Relevance to cars? How’s this? Kansas City Star- “you ought to see my car, I drive a big old Cadillac with wire wheels got rhinestones on the spokes”. The man knew how to pimp a ride long before the first NBA star bought his first Bentley.

Personally I miss Roger Miller-especially after actually meeting him. He put on a great show and he was a great guy.  I met Jimmy Buffett once in Spokane and he was a pretty good guy but when it comes to staying power in Star Car Tune-land I have to go back to the classic last line in Kansas City-'no thanks Omaha, thanks a lot'.

THE King of the Road beats Margarita guy in a Hawaiian shirt every single time.