Local boy competes on NBC show

Larry Dine Miller shocked and awed his audience Friday night with his soulful blues harmonica performance on NBC's "America's Most Talented Kid."

Miller's segment on the talent show was taped the week before Spring Break and was supposed to air on March 21; however, the show was preempted by the initiation of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The show finally aired on Friday.

Out of thousands of auditions, 40 kids were chosen to perform on "America's Most Talented Kid." Children in three age groups (3-7, 8-12 and 13-15) compete for a $50,000 grand prize. The contestants were judged by a celebrity panel that included Jermaine Jackson of the Jackson 5, Lance Bass of *NSYNC and Daisy Fuentes. The kids received points on a scale of zero to 10 based on both talent and showmanship. Mario Lopez, formerly of "Saved by the Bell," hosted the show. One winner from each age group was selected to move on to the next round of competition.

The show featured a 5-year-old who performed Elvis's "Jailhouse Rock," complete with his signature pelvic thrusts, and a 4-year-old piano player who wrote his own songs. These kids weren't in direct competition with Miller, age 9.

Miller performed "Baby What You Want Me to Do?" and was accompanied by his brothers Cole and Clayton, who had recorded their parts earlier. Miller received 9.9 points for talent and 9.7 points for showmanship. He lost, however, to a 12-year-old girl who sang a Dixie song called "Blue."

Miller gets a second chance at the $50,000 prize when he returns to film his "wildcard" performance in Los Angeles on April 22. Miller's father, Larry, 53, of Lafayette, said, "LD's got some things up his sleeve. He thinks he can do it this time." The wildcard round lets a previously defeated performer advance to the final round, which will be aired May 1.

The Millers said they had a great time in Los Angeles when they weren't busy filming. Miller was interviewed by Jay Leno on the "Tonight Show" and jammed with Ringo Starr during sound check and in the green room. The Millers also visited Universal Studios, went shopping, played at B.B. King's and made friends with the other contestants.

"All these kids were so awesome. We went out to dinner with a lot of the families and exchanged e-mail addresses. It was a close-knit thing even though they were in competition," said Larry.

The Millers heard about the contest on the "Today" show and drove all the way to Nashville to audition. Originally they had intended to audition in Chicago but bad weather forced them to perform in Nashville. The family had to drive all the way back a week later when Miller got called back for another audition.

Right now, the band is working hard to pay for another trip back out to Los Angeles. NBC pays for the airfare and accommodations for Miller and Larry, but Cole, Clayton and Larry's wife have to pay for their own expenses. To do so, the group is out touring the college circuit in Pennsylvania.

A lot has been happening since Miller's appearance on the "Tonight Show" and "America's Most Talented Kid": Jermaine Jackson called after the show and Blues Traveler has called the band's agent. "Nothing's been said, nothing's been approved, but it's looking good. I can't tell what the future holds. We talk about it, but all we can do is be prepared just in case something happens," said Larry.

With all the excitement and tension, the family tries to keep things as normal as possible. Miller has a PlayStation2 in the van, along with his German shepherd, Keech, and his schoolwork. Miller attends New Community School in Lafayette when he's home. "It's not a normal life but we keep it as normal as we can," said Larry.

The family band, The Clayton Miller Blues Band, has two recordings and is working on a third album. The first record was recorded live at Duncan Hall in 2000. Cole, age 17, plays drums and sings, while Larry plays bass and provides backup vocals. Clayton, age 21, plays guitar and sings too. The band has numerous influences ranging from Muddy Water and Stevie Ray Vaughn to Millers's heroes Junior Wells and John Popper of Blues Traveler. Miller started playing harmonica at age 6 and needed only a few lessons before he started playing regularly with the rest of his family.

"As a parent and band member, it's great to stand on stage and see my son play his heart out. It's a dream that I can say has come true," said Larry.