Young Miller to show his stuff on national TV

STAR ON THE HORIZON: L.D. Miller (left), the 8-year-old harmonica player for the Clayton Miller Blues Band, jams with his father, Larry, during the Riverfront Jazz & Blues festival last August in Lafayette.
(Journal and Courier file photo)

Band's harmonica player-singer will compete as one of NBC's talented kids

L.D. Miller, the 9-year-old harmonica player and singer of Lafayette's Clayton Miller Blues Band, will be featured on NBC's The Search for the Most Talented Kid in America that will debut at 8 p.m. March 21.

L.D. made it through two preliminary rounds in Nashville, Tenn., and will be flown to Los Angeles for tapings that start Friday and run through March 14.

"Man, that's a big deal," said Miller, riding in the family van heading back to Lafayette after a gig in North Dakota.

Most Talented Kid will continue for a few weeks until the April finals. L.D. will be in the 8-12 age category. The two other categories are for ages 3-7 and 13-15. The show will be hosted by Saved by the Bell alum Mario Lopez.

A handful of celebrity judges will be featured on Most Talented Kid. The only one confirmed is 'NSYNC's Lance Bass. The winner will get a yet-to-be-determined cash prize.

Mother and band manager Tammy Miller said L.D. will be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Today Show during his time in Los Angeles.

The band of three brothers and their dad have been criss-crossing the Midwest for concerts the last few months.

Because of bad weather in Chicago, the Millers entered L.D. in the Nashville contest that boasted competition from 400 other kids. The second round had the top 60 children in it.

Older brother and guitarist Clayton Miller accompanied L.D. on his first tryout.

"I thought it was an excellent audition. The judges really loved L.D.," Clayton recalled. "He's a natural.

"We're really proud of him. I knew he would do really good."

While used to concert hall stages, Miller said his kid brother was slightly nervous at the first audition, but the band's several appearances in television studios over the years likely eased L.D.'s nerves.

"It's a really comfortable thing for him," Clayton said. "He just gets down."

Tammy Miller heard about the contest on the Today Show.

L.D. said he plans to wow the judges with his renditions of blues standards such as Muddy Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man."

L.D.'s impressions of Tinsel Town?

"There's going to be a lot of people there, and it's a crazy place," L.D. said. "It's going to be hot, really hot."