Miller was the son of a pavior, but left home to study music,[3] from Charles Burney, who was then at King's Lynn.

On 25 July 1756, he was appointed organist of St George's Minster Doncaster in 1756 and continued in the post for 50 years,[3] on the recommendation of James Nares, and he supplemented his resources by giving lessons on the pianoforte.

[5] In 1784, Miller published 'Letters in behalf of Professors of Music residing in the Country' (London), a critique of which occurs in the 'Critical Review,'.

It is a plea that poor musicians in the country should benefit as well as those in London by the Handel commemoration festival then in contemplation.

He was also the author of The Tears of Yorkshire on the death of the Most Noble the Marquis of Rockingham (London, n. d.), and Fetis states that he began a translation of J. J. Rousseau's Dictionnaire de la Musique, of which a few proofs of the first eighteen pages were printed, but no more.