By David C. Barnett
A June 2 nd memorial celebration is in the works for a Northeast Ohio blues legend. Harmonica player Bill Miller was better known as "Mr. Stress" and he was a fixture in local clubs for nearly half a century. His close friend and fellow musician Colin Dussault says the bluesman passed away Monday evening. Speaking on 90.3's Sound of Applause, last year, Miller recalled that he fell in love with blues at an early age.
"I spent a lot of time in a project at East 30th and Cedar, and you heard your neighbors playing this kind of stuff when you were a kid, and you said, 'My god, that's good'"
Miller suffered a stroke in 2013, and Colin Dussault put together a four-CD tribute set to help the bluesman with his medical bills. Dussault says attempts are being made to locate any surviving Miller family members. The memorial for the popular musician will be hosted by the Euclid Tavern at the Happy Dog --- that’s the recently refurbished night spot where the Mr. Stress Blues Band held court for years.
