I met Bob while we attended Canton Community College (now Spoon River College), and lived in the Hotel Canton. "Stretch" as we called him was truly a "rare bird".  Intelligent, funny, and a musician who had a PHD in Rock and Roll.  Our paths crossed several times over the years.....always a hoot to see.  My sincere sympathy to his family, and many friends and fans.  RIP my friend......   

We knew Bob from Woodruff and in later years enjoyed his music. Wonderful talent; he will be missed.

I met Bob when I was 14. He was in several bands with my brother Joe over the next few years. In that time, Bob introduced me to many of his friends who are still my friends today. We had a lot of fun - heard a lot of great music - many laughs. He taught me to drive his yellow Malibu - the 'Mustard Machine' in the parking lot at Expo. Our moms were friends, and he introduced me to Pete Kelley who would later become my husband. Bob was our best man, and Pete was his best man when he married Sue. I've known Bob almost 50 years. I miss him very much, and I am so thankful for his friendship. He was one of a kind.

it is the spirit of love and harmony & it is the spirit of division and conflict. it can be raw, rude, and sometimes dangerous & there is room for it all. It comes from the depths of peoples' passion 
and it finds the similar chord in the listener and when these two emotions come together-the magic happens.The Whale could always tell the difference 
between the spark that is ignited and those who lack the empathy and sincerity to even cause heat. It is that connectivity that makes the music able to change peoples hearts, souls and minds. Bob could pick out a person who 
is in the business for self-promotion.  close range. It was his constant commitment to keep this genre of music pure and real ... it makes the diffenrence between the true artiSt and the hack. Bob is the true nature of rock n 
roll...long live rock n' roll.


Bob inspired my love of well-performed live music. His band Kool Ray and the Polaroidz was one of the finest bar bands ever to play in the Midwest and that's not just me talking. My memory of his awesome performances and studied performance of 50-60-70 genre music will always be something I cherish. Blessings to all of you who are experiencing the loss of this passionate man. 

Bob was always one of the good guys. An amazing musician. RIP my friend. Pam

Whale performed with me at open stage the week before he left us. He was very happy on stage and I am honored that he helped me out. He will be missed by many.

Whale was a longtime friend and a superb musician with an unforgettable laugh and a wry wit that sparkled, shone, and sang in his conversation and his playing.

let those of us who were his friends and members of his musical family keep all that was good in him alive in us.

I met Whale somewhere around 1970, through a mutual friend, and were aware of each other through the years, and even tried to put a band together once.
This last couple of years, we became friends, jammed frequently, and even hired him to play in the Gama Bros. band with us. He was amazing, with his knowledge of the guitar, and just about any Beatles song. I'll miss him a lot, and I'm grateful for his friendship. I hope he's in a good place, with music, and friends.

Whale and I go back close to 1970. Our bands shared the bill one afternoon for an outdoor event and that's how we met. From that day to this, Whale never deviated from what he was. With Whale you always knew what you were getting - Whale. There was never any pretense with Whale - he thought all of the posers were silly. He LOVED to laugh. I was in a band or two with Whale, and when you're on the road for hours a day you get pretty bored, so you come up with crazy things to crack each other up and keep awake. We did a LOT of that. Whale played with just about everybody who was anybody in the central Illinois music scene, and everyone involved in that scene, whether they were the performers or the audiences, knew who Whale was. He could be a crotchety character sometimes, but that was part of what we all loved about him. Sometimes even he would get to laughing over something he'd griped about! When all is said and done, he was a friend. He was a legend of the scene, an icon. And he deserves his place in the Book of Rock 'N Roll. I loved him. We all did, even though we all fought with each other who knows how many times. We were more like brothers than actual brothers. We knew each other when. God rest you Whale. We'll meet again some day, I'm sure of it.

I was seven years old when We moved Next door to the Millers in 1960, the day we were moving in was the day I met Bob and the fun began! What a great guy, Not only was he a great musician, but he was also one heck of an artist and a wizard with an airbrush,I think he eventually ended up painting every kids pedal car and bicycle in the neighborhood. You may be gone Big Man, but the Whale stories will live on forever, and man there are some good ones!

Re:robert"whale"miller--great friend and person.whale was always ready to go with his friends and get involved in their endevors,such as;going to chicago to see the beatles,practice music and or just hangout with us guys! He was a serious student of rock&roll.among the years i knew him ,"whale" associated with Tim,stu and myself,also known in the early sixties as "the shewers and squids. Youth is short; mostly sweet and I will miss&remember "whale".my.sincere condolences to family ,fans and friends. Spence

OBITUARY

Robert L. Miller

21 November, 1948 – 16 December, 2016

Preston-Hanley Funeral Home & Crematory

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