Harbor History Museum Blog: May 2018

Jack Hanover Miller (11-4-1936/7-21-2013)

AKA 3 Fingered Jack

iPhone photo

Many of you who lived in Gig Harbor, Washington in the mid-1960s and early-1970s most likely have some very interesting stories to share about Jack. Or perhaps your parents do.

As you can tell by Jack’s birthday, by the 1950s he was a teenager, and probably as a result of living on the West Coast, was influenced by the music that was suddenly becoming popular. It was leaving Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller and the Big Bands behind, jazz was gaining ground as was R&B, folk, psychedelic rock, etc. The Beattles and Rolling Stones were invading the US music scene, but San Francisco was a gathering place for groups like The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, and so on. Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs were changing the way the written word was being used. And a whole new generation was being labeled the Beat Generation or Beatniks or hippies. Many of the younger generation no longer resembled their parents in their attitudes, behavior, social likes and dislikes. Jack Miller was one of this “new generation” and his outlet was music.

3-Fingered Jack's Tavern Sign (gifted by Peter Stanley) Harbor History Museum smug mug BUS-314-GH.tif

Let’s have a little glimpse into Jack’s biography so we can perhaps better understand him: his parents, John Robert Lashley and Margaret Louise Hanover, were married in Seattle in July, 1935. On November 4th the following year, Jack was born. The country was still recovering from the Depression, and the war in Europe were making US citizens uncomfortable. Jack’s dad enlisted in the WWII Army though I don’t know which Branch in 1943. In 1940 they were each living with their parents but they did not divorce until 1945.

Jack attended Marymount Military Academy and Madison Grade School in Tacoma, Washington and in Seattle, he went to B. F. Day and Gatewood Elementary schools briefly. 1946 saw him, and his mother moving to Missoula, Montana where he finished grade school, and Missoula County High School (now Hellgate High). When he was 12 years old, he lost the first joint of his thumb, 1st and 2nd joints of the index finger and the tips of the 4th and 5th fingers on his right hand in a gunpowder explosion on April 4th, 1948 on the University of Missoula’s golf course.

While in high school Jack was a member of Spartanaires, a top school singing group for two years, and in his junior year, 1953, the All Northwest Chorus. He graduated in 1954, and attended the University of Montana 1954-55 transferring to Montana State University in Bozeman for the 1955-57 term graduating with a degree in pre-engineering.

Jack married Rosalie Marie Smith in June, 1957; he was 20, she was 16. They had two children but the marriage wasn’t working and they divorced in 1961. Jack worked for Boeing at the Renton facility in 1957-60.

He taught himself on the modified 4-string guitar and had his first professional gig New Years Eve 1963 at O’Sullivans in Coos Bay, Oregon. He moved on to play in Havre and Great Falls, Montana during 1964-1966; then back to Boeing in Renton for the 1966-67 period. Jack was still playing music as a one man band, and he first played at The Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor, Washington in 1966. He continued to play there on and off until 1969. In 1969 he also started playing at Redondo Tavern (now Salty’s at Redondo) for thirteen weeks in the Spring 1969. Then summer of 1969 he was at Berg’s Colonial Inn University Place, Washington.

The owners of The Tides Tavern, had hired Bob Schoeder and Ross Palmanteer to manage The Tides Tavern in 1966. But they were no longer managing when according to The Peninsula Gateway 12/11/1969 issue, “Bob Schoeder was arrested yesterday. Bob and two friends were refused credit. Then Jack Miller and (?) Harter, the new owners of The Tides Tavern locked the door. Gig Harbor Police and Sheriff were called at 2AM.”

According to The Peninsula Gateway in their “Groceries to suds: “The Tides” overflows with history by Barbara Felver, Gateway Staff, Wednesday, June 8, 1988 - Page 9A” in the portion regarding ‘the first tavern” it states: “Then in 1969, a man who had been brought in to entertain the customers with his songs put $8,000 down on the business. He called himself Three Fingered Jack.”

Harbor History Museum smug mug BUS-313-GH.tif

According to his biography, Jack “kept The Tides Tavern from foreclosure and possible demolition, by buying and operating it as 3 Fingered Jack’s Tides Tavern until forced out of business in April 1973. At which time Peter Stanley purchased the property and building.

There are of course, lots of humorous remembrances of Jack: Thomas McNellis (Gig Harbor) was quoted “He was quite a character back in the late 60s and 70s. In the late 60s, the “hippie” movement hadn’t hit Gig Harbor yet. Blue collar, conservative, fishermen, nobody did drugs. With him coming into the Harbor and taking over the Tides —-which he renamed 3 Fingered Jack’s Tides Tavern — he and the people who started following him kind of displaced people like my mom and dad, who went to the Tides every Friday after shopping.” (3 Fingered Jack Miller Left his Mark on Gig Harbor, by Brent Champaco, The Patch 8/12/13)

An anonymous recollection: “ 1972: a potbelly stove was in the lower level by the doors to the deck. Deck was unsafe/rotten. Jack sat on upper level; by the bar in director's chair and played 60's rock and roll and sang. Pulled wine bottles from holes in the ceiling. He had a portable keyboard and guitar. ”

Yet another anonymous recollection: “us kids used to climb over the roof on the east end of the building, sneak in the window into the mens room, and go in so we could listen to the music.”

Still another: “We used to go into the Tides and close the place down, then jam with Jack until 4 or 5 AM. Good old times.”

Jack though continued to work various day jobs and played various club dates until becoming a street musician at Pike Place Market, Safeco Field, Seahawks Stadium in Seattle as well as outside the Pantages and Rialto Theaters in Tacoma.

In 1977 he married Shirley Carroll but the marriage was dissolved by divorce in 1981; in 1986 he married Anne DeBaufer and the marriage lasted until her death in 1991.

On LinkedIn, Jack described himselfas “BUSKER@SeattleSeahawksStadium N.W. corner of S. Occidential Street at 3 Finger(ed) Jack’s Live Music. He goes on to say “At age 75 still performing, trying to survive and selling my Commemorative 3 Fingered Jack’s Tide Tavern 1969-1973 Gig Harbor, WA and my one and only self-produced CD all available at Box 331, Graham, WA or …”

Private Collection - iPhone Photo

Jack Hanover Miller appeared as Jerry Garcia in Doomedplanet(.com), 2001; the way out music teacher in Hell Hole High (.com) 2003 and the resistance leader in Paul Allen(.com) 2005.

Jack died on July 21, 2013. His obituary reads: “3 Fingered Jack” Miller, age 76, passed away on July 21, 2013. He was a colorful and popular local entertainer for over 50 years, best remembered as the owner of “3 Fingered Jack’s Tides Tavern” in Gig Harbor from 1969 to 1973. He leaves daughters Tarina Marine, of Anaheim, CA, and Theresa Boyle Patterson of Seattle, and son, Shane Curtiss Miller of Fort Collins, Colorado, and three grandchildren. Jack attended the University of Montana and Montana State University from 1954 to 1957. He was a classically trained vocalist and self taught guitarist. He performed his one man "old time" rock and roll at various Puget Sound clubs, and was a Seattle street musician at Pike Place Market, Seahawks Stadium and Safeco Field. Jack appeared in 3 movies. His music will be greatly missed. A celebration of Jack's life was held on August 10, 2013.”

His son Shane C. Miller, is a script writer and did voice overs on Bush Busters 2008 on Web TV.

Shane is Second cousin to up and coming actor and producer Jake Hanover.

Note:

Biography: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1380230/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
Linkedin.com
Ancestry.com
3 Fingered Jack Miller Left his Mark on Gig Harbor, by Brent Champaco, The Patch 8/12/13)
Henry Eugene Allen and Juanita Fay Allen
The Peninsula Gateway - obituary

Harbor History Museum Blog

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Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Emmett Hunt's Diary entry May 7, 1890

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Emmett Hunt's Diary entry April 30, 1890

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Jack Hanover Miller (11-4-1936/7-21-2013)

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Emmett Hunt's Diary entry April 23, 1890

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Emmett Hunt's Diary entry April 16, 1890

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Emmett Hunt's diary entry April 9, 1890