Mrs. Miller

Elva Ruby Connes (October 5, 1907–June 28, 1997), who recorded under the name Mrs. Miller, was an American singer who gained some fame in the 1960s for her versions of popular songs like "Moon River", "Monday, M

Elva Ruby Connes (October 5, 1907–June 28, 1997), who recorded under the name Mrs. Miller, was an American singer who gained some fame in the 1960s for her versions of popular songs like "Moon River", "Monday, Monday", "A Lover's Concerto", and "Downtown" rendered in an untrained, operatic, vibrato-laden voice, often out of tune and off the beat. Her whistling, which was equally wobbly and apparently preceded by Mrs. Miller filling her mouth with ice to better control the pitch, also featured on a number of her records.

She was born in Joplin, Missouri and moved first to Jetmore, Kansas and then Dodge City, Kansas before settling in Claremont, California. She sporadically studied music at Pomona College. Later, she sang at churches around Claremont and, although she said that her singing was just "a hobby", she self-released a small number of records, mainly made up of classical, gospel and children's songs. It was while making one of these records that the arranger Fred Bock heard her. He convinced her to try some more modern songs, and took the resulting recordings around record labels.