He tips his hat to ladies and takes it off when inside. Sporting a warm-hearted smile and a handshake to match, he’s an all-American guy with a hidden talent. When driving his big yellow school bus, he may not seem like a potential star. But listen to his music, and one knows it’s something special.

Tim Miller, a school bus owner/operator driving for the St. Tammany Parish School system, has a dream. Miller has just released his third CD of Christian country music. While the genre is not widespread, it has been called the Sunday kind of country, and many stations play the faith-filled clean-lyrics music on their stations on Sundays. On the Christian Country chart, he reached Number 4 with his song, “Get Out of the Smoke.”

Miller and his wife, Rhonda, also a bus driver, have written many of the songs themselves, and although the CD was recorded in a professional studio in Nashville, Tenn., Miller is still a struggling country/Christian music artist. Without an agent and very little promotion, he has not gotten a lot of air time on radio. He does have a fan base, however, and has been compared to country greats Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw by music professionals in Nashville.

Tim Miller

Modestly, he said, “The professionals in Nashville even make me sound good.”

They have tried before to “make it” in the competitive world of country music, touring steadily for eight years. Although he sometimes tours on the weekends, playing fairs and churches, the music doesn’t stop — it just keeps on coming.

Tim often writes the music as he sits, jammin’ on his guitar. He hears something he likes and then the lyrics come to him. In contrast, Rhonda will hear the music and lyrics at the same time in her head. Then she has to try to convey it to Tim so he can play it.

The former pastor of Grace Church on Harrison Avenue, he now has his own personal music ministry. He writes songs full of faith, reflecting beliefs and hopes for the future and even the country. He said he is trying to give the world Christian-based music that is compatible with today’s modern upbeat country music. Many of his songs are a mix of country/rock Christian music.

In one of his best efforts, “Dad’s Song,” he tells his father goodbye. It’s a song everyone can relate to, although Miller is still surprised by people’s response. He wrote the song the night before his father’s funeral and sang it during the service.

It is full of hope of seeing him again and the frustration of not saying a final goodbye to those you love.

A native of Louisiana, Miller grew up on a horse farm. Married for 20 years, he and Rhonda have no children but are kindred spirits. They both lost their fathers the year of Katrina, with Tim’s father’s funeral the week before the storm hit. Both of their mothers live with them.

Although they both love their day jobs driving school buses, they also enjoy their music. They belong to BMI, the professional music industry organization based in Nashville. Miller said songwriting has gotten to be a lot less scary than in the past, and he enjoys it.

His writing is a composite of personal experiences, people he knows and people he wants to know. Mostly, his music is about faith, hope and a Christian life.