Donnie Miller knows how to roll with the punches. Born Kerry Duane Johnson, Donnie was adopted when he was four days old. He grew up in Kansas, just a few blocks from Oklahoma. He wanted to do it all, and had plenty of talent to be able to – cartooning, competition diving, and playing drums and guitar in cover bands. But he hit his stride when he discovered the Stratocaster and Marshall half-stack. In 1977 he formed a band. And then another, and then another, playing 250 shows a year and eventually releasing a star-studded solo album (One of the Boys, SONY product #44309) in 1990. Critically received, it was a synth-laden, golden-mullet, leather-pants slab of pop-metal wonder. One reviewer called it "the last great rock album of the 1980's." Donnie’s star was definitely on the rise. Then, just as Donnie was climbing the steep slope to rock stardom, he severed a nerve and tendon in the palm of his left hand. The doctors told him he would never play guitar the same way again. They were right. And that tragedy turned into a life-altering blessing. Donnie started playing blues as physical therapy, but it grew into a passion and a bona fide calling. "Playing the blues didn’t just save my career, it saved my life," Donnie said. Slowly, deliberately, belligerently, he coaxed his damaged hand to cooperate while his mind and voice came to grips with the power of his true blues nature. With a completely different genre in his sights, he relocated to Nashville, where his musical intensity – simultaneously fierce and laid-back – hardened and emerged. Kerry Duane Johnson emerged too. Donnie learned his birth name 20 years ago, but only recently reconciled with its power. With his album "My Name is Kerry Duane Johnson," Donnie unleashed this alter-ego! He earned three separate nominations (best live blues performer, best blues band, album of the year) in the 2016 Nashville Industry Music Awards. “To me, music is like oxygen or food or water,” he said. “I must have it to exist. I play music for myself. It’s the fountain of youth, and time stands still in that moment.” Recently signed with King of Fame booking, Donnie’s eyes are fixed on the blues festival market. Meanwhile, he still captains the The National Blues Network on Facebook, YouTube and Google+ providing hours of classic archival content to thousands of online blues fans. He gigs nonstop, and he hosts blues jams around Nashville, providing stage time, support and encouragement for area blues veterans and newcomers. "I play a lot of shows, and I work hard to get my name out there," he said, "but most of my time I'm just trying to help people. It's a tough business, and it means a lot when someone spends a little of their time and energy trying to help. Believe me, I know. I've been lucky." He can be reached instantly by email for bookings @donnie.miller@rocketmail.com #HOTLIVEBLUESRULES #STILLLOVEMYJOB #JUSTONEGOODBOOKINGAGENT