There seems to be one indisputable fact about Roger Miller’s hit “King of the Road.” He wrote it. But where did he write it? That this would even be a question of interest is somewhat puzzling. Sure, it was a big hit. But why would people argue about its provenance?
Miller’s concert chat seems to have been the reason for the confusion. He would often toss out a line about where he wrote the song, or where he first saw the sign that became the first line, “Trailers for sale or rent.” He mentioned seeing it in Chicago; Kitchener, Ontario, and Indiana. He bought a little statue of a hobo someplace that is said to have inspired him. One of those places was the Boise airport.
Miller often said from the stage that the song was written in Boise, Idaho. I like that version because I heard it first from a man who claimed to have been there when it was written.
Bob Weisenberger was the manager of KGEM radio in Boise, where I worked for about six years. He told of sitting in a hotel room listening to Roger Miller jam with Boxcar Willie following Miller’s performance at the Snake River Stampede in Nampa. Boxcar Willie became a concert draw himself over the following couple of decades, and he even had a minor hit with a cover of “King of the Road.” At the time this took place, probably 1964, Boxcar Willie was a DJ at KGEM, using the name Marty Martin.
Many reports about the genesis of “King of the Road” say it was written at the Idanha. It’s such an iconic Boise hotel that those reports just seem right. Maybe not. Miller himself reminded the crowd gathered for a press conference in 1972 to promote another appearance at the Snake River Stampede that he had written the song while staying at the Hotel Boise.
Wherever he wrote it—and it was probably written over a period of at least weeks, perhaps coming together finally in Boise—Miller would never need to work “two hours of pushin’ broom” for his accommodations after its release. The song won 1965 Grammy awards for Best Contemporary Rock 'N Roll Single, Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Best Country & Western Recording, Best Country Vocal Performance, and Best Country Song.
Miller’s concert chat seems to have been the reason for the confusion. He would often toss out a line about where he wrote the song, or where he first saw the sign that became the first line, “Trailers for sale or rent.” He mentioned seeing it in Chicago; Kitchener, Ontario, and Indiana. He bought a little statue of a hobo someplace that is said to have inspired him. One of those places was the Boise airport.
Miller often said from the stage that the song was written in Boise, Idaho. I like that version because I heard it first from a man who claimed to have been there when it was written.
Bob Weisenberger was the manager of KGEM radio in Boise, where I worked for about six years. He told of sitting in a hotel room listening to Roger Miller jam with Boxcar Willie following Miller’s performance at the Snake River Stampede in Nampa. Boxcar Willie became a concert draw himself over the following couple of decades, and he even had a minor hit with a cover of “King of the Road.” At the time this took place, probably 1964, Boxcar Willie was a DJ at KGEM, using the name Marty Martin.
Many reports about the genesis of “King of the Road” say it was written at the Idanha. It’s such an iconic Boise hotel that those reports just seem right. Maybe not. Miller himself reminded the crowd gathered for a press conference in 1972 to promote another appearance at the Snake River Stampede that he had written the song while staying at the Hotel Boise.
Wherever he wrote it—and it was probably written over a period of at least weeks, perhaps coming together finally in Boise—Miller would never need to work “two hours of pushin’ broom” for his accommodations after its release. The song won 1965 Grammy awards for Best Contemporary Rock 'N Roll Single, Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Best Country & Western Recording, Best Country Vocal Performance, and Best Country Song.
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