TRANSITIONS | Sidney Miller, Founder of ‘Black Radio Exclusive’ R&B Trade Magazine, Dies at 89

Sidney Miller, founder and publisher of the pioneering Black Radio Exclusive magazine, a Black music & R&B trade publication has died. He was 89.

A week after his birthday, Miller died Thursday (1/20) in a hospital in Arlington, Virginia, of complications from COVID-19, his family announced.

Miller is credited with launching one of the first major trade magazines focused on Black music. He started out as a student musician playing trumpet as a pre-med major at Florida A&M University while booking bands at clubs along the East Coast on the side.

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After graduation, All Access reports that the Pensacola, Florida, native served in the US Army and continued playing and booking artists as a side business. Miller was close friends with the Adderley brothers, Cannonball and Nat, who he would assemble as bands and book them and others gigs and live shows.

After launching BRE, Miller solidified himself as a pioneer within the Black music scene. His magazine helped broadcast the talent and accomplishments of Black artists who were often ignored and overlooked by the predominantly white mainstream audience at the time.

Miller worked at Capitol Records with the Fame label imprint as a music executive. As A&R under Artie Mogull, he helped introduce diverse acts such as Helen Reddy, Joe South, The Fortunes, and Cannonball Adderley.

in the 1980s, Miller launched the nationally syndicated radio show Hollywood Live, hosted by WBLS personality Frankie Crocker.

Miler got the weekly Black music trade magazine, BRE off the ground in 1976. The publication tracked radio play and retail sales of Black music across the various regions and nationally, and his BRE Charts rivaled Billboards R&B Charts, and often offered clarity to record executives about their releases. BRE created a community for Black artists, record promoters, record executives and retailers within the industry until its demise in 2017.

He expanded its reach by creating BRE conferences and later the Drummer Awards, which were accompanied by sold-out shows in major venues around the country. Those events introduced artists including Mariah Carey, MC Hammer, Sade, Boyz II Men, Kirk Franklin, The Commodores, Naughty by Nature and Maxwell and were known for superstar performances from the likes of Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner and James Brown, among others.

Miller also was honored at the NAACP Image Awards and sat on the boards of the Evander Holyfield Foundation, the National Black Programmers Coalition, the New Orleans Music Commission, the Atlanta Music Commission, the Washington D.C. Music Commission and the PUSH Rainbow Coalition, among others.

He spent most of his life in Los Angeles but moved 12 years ago to enjoy his children and grandchildren in Virginia.

Survivors include his wife and business partner, Susan Miller; children Paxton (and his wife, Jasmine), Evelyn (and her husband, Thomas) and Sidney (and his wife, Kelli); grandchildren Jet, Sydney, Sidney IV, Stevie, Riley and Miles; and brother Wilmer.

Memorial celebrations will be held in Los Angeles and online. Those who knew Miller are encouraged to share stories and photos by emailing the family at BRESid2021@gmail.com.