Bio

Growing up in Cammack Village, a small-town enclave nestled in Little Rock, Arkansas, Milo Deering began life in an idyllic childhood setting.  He learned, at an early age, to play ukulele, piano and harmonica, tutored by his parents, both self-taught musicians who had a deep appreciation for music. His home was the town fire station, overseen by his father Rupert, who was mayor, city manager and chief of the one engine volunteer fire department. In addition to fighting the occasional fire, Milo spent endless hours in the fire truck in the garage practicing guitar. He played in local rock-and-roll bands throughout his junior and high school years.

Following graduation Milo made a weekly trek from Little Rock to Dallas to study with members of the Classical Guitar Society.  Eventually Milo moved to Dallas and enrolled at Southern Methodist University where he studied with renowned classical guitarist, Robert Guthrie. His life’s path took a new direction while playing in country bars with Ted Tedford and the Flying Cowchips. He taught privately for fifteen years while honing his skills on pedal steel guitar, fiddle and mandolin.

One of Milo’s last students was the fledgling songwriter and his future wife, Rachel Goetz. Together they played Rachel’s original songs at open mic nights at Club Dada, Poor David’s Pub and other Dallas music venues.  Performing with their band, Ghostown, in the 90s, the couple carved a niche in the Texas music scene, playing at the renowned South by Southwest Music Conference showcase in Austin, TX and at the Kerrville Folk Festival where Rachel was a New-Folk Finalist. More recently, the talented duo and their Acoustic Kitchen band have played their homespun blend of folk, bluegrass & western-swing for enthusiastic audiences of Texas festival-goers, Cattle Baron’s Ball donors, Japanese cruise ship passengers and a solid fan base in the Dallas area. They also host an annual Christmas Jam concert in Dallas, and celebrated the 10th anniversary of the tradition in Dec 2013.

Milo’s recording career began at Real to Reel Studio where he played on numerous radio jingles. Hired by composer Tom Faulkner in 1988, Milo co-wrote and played guitar and fiddle on the now famous Motel 6 “We’ll Leave the Light on For You” campaign. Before long he was a first-call session player and sideman, compiling an impressive list of credits with other top artists on stage and in the studio. Milo recorded and toured with Leann Rimes in the late 90s, performing at stadium-sized venues and appearing on broadcasts such as The Tonight Show, The Today Show, The Grammy Awards, David Letterman, The Billboard Music Awards, Nashville Now, The TNN Awards and The View. Along the way, Milo continued to lend his skillful hand to albums by Jack Ingram, Steve Holy, Trout Fishing in America, Slim Whitman, Jackopierce and dozens of singers and songwriters. As a member of Jack Ingram’s “Beat Up Ford Band”, Milo appeared on Austin City Limits and was immortalized (albeit briefly) in the Sandra Bullock film Hope Floats.

In 2003, Milo, Dave Walser and George Anderson formed the band Beatlegras which reinvented the music of the Beatles in a bluegrass-jazz blend. Each member brought their own interpretation. They released four albums to much critical acclaim and toured the U.S. and Ireland performing at sold-out venues and large festivals.

As well as being the consummate session musician and sideman, Milo is also a creative talent in his own right. He wrote the score for the National Geographic special, The Snow Monkeys of Texas and has recorded several solo albums including the western-swing influenced, Swing That Music! and three volumes of cross-genre holiday music entitled Milo Deering’s All Acoustic Christmas Jam. He steadily writes for top-rated music production libraries and his original compositions and arrangements are regularly featured on National Geographic, Good Morning America, Dancing With the Stars, NFL Films, Martha Stewart and Celebrity Homes, among many others

Currently, Milo produces and plays on CD projects for many singer-songwriters who he also accompanies at live performances. Those artists include Arlington based folk singer and mental health advocate Heather McCready, Texas country mainstay Mark David Manders and long-time Dallas Americana favorite, Rick Babb.  In June 2013 Milo was featured in a Dallas Morning News story as one of the top record producers in Dallas. He continues to work as a first-call multi-instrumentalist on guitar, fiddle, mandolin, Dobro & steel guitar and has most recently played on projects by Stoney LaRue, Zane Williams, Aaron Watson, Kyle Park, Breaking Southwest, and Don Henley. Milo also plays with one of Texas’ most popular and enduring bluegrass bands, Hickory Hill.