Music Industry A-Listers Encourage Lee Thomas Miller To Make Congress Run

Lee Thomas Miller.

Songwriter and NSAI president Lee Thomas Miller says he will soon make an announcement regarding whether or not he will enter the race for Tennessee’s seventh congressional district of Tennessee seat that will soon be vacated by Marsha Blackburn.

Miller has not officially announced his campaign, though he tells MusicRow a decision should be announced in the coming days.

“It’s an honor to even consider serving in that House of Representatives,” he tells MusicRow. “It’s one of the pillars that the whole nation was built on, the fact that it’s a government represented by the people, by the normal people. I think the one thing I keep hearing is that people feel like they are not being represented. I’m not a politician, and I’m not a lawyer. I don’t speak like one and I don’t pretend to be one. It’s something that people have been asking me about for a good 10 years because I’ve been involved in issues that I felt were worth fighting. I’ve been willing to be loud and at least push back and try to make our voices heard.”

Miller has written several No. 1 country hits, including “The Impossible” (Joe Nichols), “The World” and “I’m Still A Guy” (Brad Paisley), and “You’re Gonna Miss This” (Trace Adkins), and has been nominated for three Grammy awards.

As Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) president, Miller has made numerous trips to Washington, D.C., alongside fellow songwriters, to fight for songwriters’ rights and to enlighten lawmakers to the plight of songwriters whose incomes are largely governed by consent decrees.

In recent days, Miller received a letter signed by more than 80 country artists, songwriters, and music industry executives, encouraging Miller to announce his run for the seat. Among the letter’s signees were Brad Paisley, Kix Brooks, Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson, Brandon Heath, Rusty Gaston, Tom Douglas and more.

“We are united in our request that you seriously consider this service,” the letter reads in part. “We come from different parties and embrace different philosophies. And we represent different communities within music. Yet we share a great passion for music and this wonderful industry that chronicles American life and brings such joy to so many. We love the creativity in our business. We all also rely on this business to employ others and to support our own lives. So while we all are part of this industry because of our commitment to music, we are mindful that public policy is especially crucial at this juncture in our industry’s transformation to the digital world.”

“Everything has been moving kind of fast. When I first saw the names, I was humbled that those leaders in the community would step up and put their name on it. It’s one of many things that has led me toward what I’m going to do. Once we started digging in deeper and looking into what it meant to run and be a candidate, you learn that of course the federal government makes things complicated and filing candidacy is complicated, so the best I can say is stay tuned.”

Read the full letter below.

[Click photo to enlarge]