Miriam Linna (born October 16, 1955 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a Canadian-American drummer who has run the Brooklyn-based independent record label Norton Records since 1986, originally with her husband, the late producer and singer-songwriter Billy Miller. Her skill as a drummer earned her a "May I recommend?" nod from Bob Dylan on his XM Theme Time Radio Hour program (episode 37) in January 2007.Linna is part of the collective of musicians that emerged from the Cleveland, Ohio punk rock scene, including the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu.
When the re-formed Rocket from the Tombs performed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 2003, singer David Thomas dedicated the band's signature song "Amphetamine" to her.Linna was a founding member of The Cramps, performing in the band from their first date on November 1, 1976, until July 10, 1977. She appears on their How to Make a Monster compilation album. Linna left The Cramps to join the new wave band Nervus Rex. After performing with the Zantees, Linna and Miller launched The A-Bones (named after a 1964 tune by The Trashmen).
The A-Bones released two 10" EPs (Tempo Tantrum in 1986 and Free Beer for Life! in 1988), followed by four full-length albums between 1991 and 1996. The A-Bones regrouped after a short hiatus to perform in Spain with Little Richard, Andre Williams and the Great Gaylord. Linna also played drums on Maureen Tucker's 1994 album Dogs Under Stress. Linna and A-Bones bassist Marcus "The Carcass" Natale guested on a 2007 recording session by the proto-punk band Figures of Light, produced by Miller; she also handled the drums on Figures of Light's 2011 album Drop Dead, produced by Mick Collins of The Dirtbombs.In 2014, as "Miriam", Linna released her first solo album on Norton Records, Nobody's Baby, produced by Sam Elwitt. The album features Linna singing over distinctly Phil Spector- and Jack Nitzsche-inspired arrangements of a selection of mostly obscure cover songs from the 1960s.
Norton released her follow-up LP, Down Today, in 2015MIRIAM LINNA is the wax maven at New York record label, Norton Records and publisher of Kicks Books, both endeavors which exist to celebrate the unsung heroes of rock n’ roll music. Miriam co-founded Norton Records with her late husband, Billy Miller. The pair were inspired to discover and issue unknown music that they had written about in Kicks magazine. Miriam loves to hoard, play, and rave about records, and is particularly hopped up about the Doo-Wop sounds of New York City and the inevitable and much wished-for KINKS REUNION! She lives in the borough she calls home, Brooklyn USA
