Donnie Miller knows how to roll with the punches.

Donnie started playing blues as physical therapy, but it grew into a passion and a bona fide calling. "Playing the blues didn’t just save my career, it saved my life," Donnie said.

Slowly, deliberately, belligerently, he coaxed his damaged hand to cooperate while his mind and voice came to grips with the power of his true blues nature. With a completely different genre in his sights, he relocated to Nashville, where his musical intensity – simultaneously fierce and laid-back – hardened and emerged.

“To me, music is like oxygen or food or water,” he said. “I must have it to exist. I play music for myself. It’s the fountain of youth, and time stands still in that moment.”

Recently signed with King of Fame booking, Donnie’s eyes are fixed on the blues festival market. Meanwhile, he still captains the The National Blues Network on Facebook, YouTube and Google+ providing hours of classic archival content to thousands of online blues fans. He gigs nonstop, and he hosts blues jams around Nashville, providing stage time, support and encouragement for area blues veterans and newcomers.

"I play a lot of shows, and I work hard to get my name out there," he said, "but most of my time I'm just trying to help people. It's a tough business, and it means a lot when someone spends a little of their time and energy trying to help. Believe me, I know. I've been lucky."