Artist: Roger Miller
Album: The Return of Roger Miller
Song: "King of the Road"
January 1965 Smash Records

Jan 2, 1936 - Oct 25, 1992 Critics gave the album positive reviews, remarking that "King of the Road" was "perhaps the most perfect country song ever written" By itself, the track won five Grammy awards for Miller including best Rock and roll single. It was the biggest crossover hit of Miller's career reaching the top of the country, adult contemporary, and English singles charts, and peaking in the top ten in the Billboard 100 and Canadian singles charts.

Miller was a lifelong cigarette smoker. During a television interview, Miller explained that he composed his songs from "bits and pieces" of ideas he wrote on scraps of paper. When asked what he did with the unused bits and pieces, he half-joked, "I smoke 'em!" He also wrote a song about his habit, titled "Dad Blame Anything A Man Can't Quit". Miller died of lung and throat cancer in 1992, at the relatively young age of 56, shortly after the discovery of a malignant tumor under his vocal cords. Shame he couldn't quit and had to go so soon. Probably had a lot more songs in him.