By Kyla Hurt
Photos/Straight South Imagery
The 2024 Arenzville Burgoo is taking place this weekend on Friday, September 6 and Saturday, September 7. The annual event in Arenzville is family-friendly and offers carnival rides, live performances, a variety of concessions and contests — plus, the burgoo!
One performer is Season 19 American Idol alum and Billy Jam Records artist Alex Miller. Miller will headline the 185th Arenzville Burgoo on Saturday, Sept. 7. The evening will kick off with a performance by The Elderly Brothers at 6:15, followed by Miller at 8 p.m.
Miller, recently 21, is from a small town in Kentucky, so performing in Arenzville should be comfortable for him. “I grew up in cow country and horse country,” notes Miller.
Interestingly, he is the only one in his family with musical talents. Still, Miller grew up loving music, he says. “When I was about 6, I wanted to take guitar lessons and I asked my granddaddy to take me, and he took me. Then, I had started singing, l think, around 3 — I was in church doing karaoke stuff. I’ve been at it a long time,” states Miller.
Miller describes his music as rock and traditional country. “What I mean by that, I grew up loving the classics like Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and George Jones … so it’s that music but with a little bit of a modern twist, or an upbeat, in-your-face, rockin’ kind of twist,” explains Miller.
He writes part of all of his songs. “I’d say about 80 percent of what I record, I do have a hand in writing.” At his shows, he does a lot of covers “my way,” he adds.
His top accomplishment so far is playing the Grand Ole Opry on June 27, shares Miller. “I’m very grateful for that. I got to play the song about my granddad there and also a song called, ‘Puttin’ Up hay.’”
The song Miller references that is about his grandfather is “My Daddy’s Day.” He says, “It is a very special song for me. I wrote that right after he passed away, so that song is my way of bringing him to every show that I play, you know, because he came and he traveled with me, for, well, ever since I was little biddy.”
Since American Idol, Miller has moved to a suburb of Nashville and has released one full record and two EPs. “I always love working on music. In fact, we just recorded about five songs here this past year and we’re looking forward to puttin’ them out — I think it’s some of my best stuff.”
He looks forward to performing at the Arenzville Burgoo on Sat., Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. “I know a lot of little towns like Arenzville, growing up in Kentucky in the area that I did … and coming in and playing places like that really thrills me because I know how much it meant when something like that came to our little town, so it’s nice to be ‘that’ coming to other places and giving people reason to get out and have a good time, and boogie boogie.”
Miller says he’s had plenty of burgoo before in Kentucky, but will be trying the Arenzville version, for sure. “I’m very curious if the burgoo formula is the same for you guys as it is for us,” he comments.
