Sammy Miller’s Kennedy Center bio called him Grammy nominated… The Recording Academy begs to differ.
Now the former head of music programming, facing accusations of “stolen valor” from former colleagues, is also under scrutiny for allegedly using his perch to book and pay his own band at the venue he ran.
The Recording Academy, the people who actually hand out Grammys, confirmed to us that Miller isn’t among their nominees. His bio on the Kennedy Center’s own website said otherwise. So did a Wall Street Journal op-ed he wrote, where his byline identified him as a Grammy-nominated artist.
“I’ve checked with our Awards Team on this and can share with you that Mr. Miller is not Grammy nominated,” a Recording Academy spokesperson told Sources Say.
Miller pushed back on the premise on whether he was Grammy nominated.
“I was honored to play drums on Joey Alexander’s Grammy-nominated album,” he said.
Two former colleagues told us the credential amounted to “stolen valor” in a business where a Grammy nod actually means something.
Miller was also allegedly using his position to book himself. Contracts reviewed by Sources Say show SMATC Music LLC was paid to perform at the KC Speakeasy, the Kennedy Center’s self-described “after-hours jazz club hidden in the sky,” while Miller was the senior director in charge of booking it. Sources familiar with his tenure say his band played there more than once.
A recent Politico story noted in passing that Miller had played the Speakeasy once and wasn’t paid. The contracts reviewed by Sources Say News contradict that claim.
Three people familiar with Miller’s tenure told us they flagged concerns about his qualifications and took them straight to leadership, but got nowhere. One said Miller was simply “in the wrong seat on the bus.”
Another said there was “no reason” he should have been on the programming team at the Kennedy Center given his lack of booking experience.
Miller left the Kennedy Center during the April layoffs. He didn’t respond to additional requests for comment.
