Sy Miller

Sy Miller, born Seymour Miller in New York City in 1908, was an American songwriter, actor, writer, and musician. He worked in entertainment and songwriting before and during his marriage to Jill Jackson Miller, whom he married in 1949. The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology describes him as a Broadway actor and writer and notes that the couple collaborated on nearly one hundred songs. Film records also document Miller as a songwriter for mid-century motion pictures, including material used in the 1951 Warner Bros. film Lullaby of Broadway.

Miller’s enduring association with congregational and inspirational music comes from “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” Historical accounts from Jill Jackson Miller and later hymnological sources describe her as writing the text in 1955 and Sy Miller as composing the melody. Modern hymnals and rights databases commonly credit both spouses jointly for words and music, so the formal publishing credit is broader than this practical division of labor.

Miller later described the song’s first presentation to about 180 teenagers of different racial and religious backgrounds at a California mountain gathering and the way participants carried it into schools, churches, clubs, and civic organizations. The song eventually received recognition from the Freedoms Foundation and the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Miller died in Los Angeles in 1971.