POLAND — While you “Can’t Always Get What You Want,” one Poland man is sure trying his best to do so.

John Miller, 77, has amassed a huge collection of Rolling Stones items and has enough to fill a museum. He also is approaching 100 Rolling Stones concerts where he sat in the front row.

Miller is a Chardon High School Class of 1964 graduate who went on to attend The Ohio State University for a degree in business transportation. He graduated OSU in 1968.

His passion for the Rolling Stones began in 1964 when he heard one of the band’s recordings.

“I heard one of their songs, but I can’t remember which one,” Miller said. “I just really loved their music and I got to see them in concert in Las Vegas in 1964.”

Miller continued to attend every Rolling Stones concert he could when the band held U.S. tours. He wasn’t alone in 1968 when he married his wife Kathy after they had both graduated from OSU. For Kathy, she knew early on she would become a Rolling Stones fan as well.

“I had to become a Rolling Stones fan and have really enjoyed all the shows,” she said.

Miller continued to enjoy the concerts with his new bride, but took a brief break in 1969 when he was drafted into the Army and served a tour of duty in Vietnam.

In 1973, after his service time ended, Miller returned home and began building homes and apartment buildings. Around 1993, he sold the business he had built and went into a new career as a teacher at Lincoln Place on Indianola Boulevard in Youngstown.

He taught unruly children from the Cleveland area who couldn’t make it in the normal school setting and were sent to the specialized school that would be away from their regular environment.

Miller liked teaching and said the kids just needed direction. He enjoyed being a part of that and said the job was perfect as it permitted him to take days off whenever there was a Rolling Stones concert in the U.S.

In 1996, Miller’s passion for The Stones went to a new level. His son Nathan was at Mount Union College when a friend offered him tickets to a Rolling Stones concert. The tickets were for the front row, center stage.

“We got to meet the person who gave Nathan the tickets,” Miller said. “She continued giving us the tickets for U.S. concerts after that.”

He said the key was not asking for autographs or photos. He said both Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards would not talk to Americans because they were so pushy to get a photo or autograph. Because John and Kathy never pushed those issues, they got to go backstage at concerts, which led to way better surprises.

“The girl we originally got the tickets from handled the seating for the concerts,” Miller said. “In Germany, we attended a concert and sat next to a princess because she knew we wouldn’t bother anyone.”

Miller said the first 20 rows of the concert have people that the woman in charge knew. Those seats are filled with people whose Social Security numbers were on file and who were known by name.

Another privilege of the front row crowd is being able to go backstage. At the 2005 Madison Square Garden concert, Miller ended up with a guitar used on stage and signed by all the band members. He has a second guitar used in a concert that also was added to his collection.

“We were just standing around backstage and the band came off stage and handed me the guitar and said ‘Do you want this?'” Miller said.

John and Kathy’s status with the band also brought other great experiences. They were able to attend the 2006 birthday party for Bill Clinton, which featured the Rolling Stones at Radio City Music Hall.

“We got to sit next to Caroline Kennedy and her husband,” Miller said.

Over the years, Miller’s collection of Rolling Stones items grew. He even was able to purchase a rare Rolling Stones pinball machine. The machine has a dark colored backdrop with the band members filling the frame. Only a few were made in that color and the rest were built with a red background. Miller’s pinball machine still functions.

The couple are also Ford Mustang fans and next to the pinball machine are photos of Mustangs from the early years.

“The Ford Mustang was released on April 17, 1964,” Miller said. “That was the same date the Rolling Stones released their first album, “England’s Newest Hit Makers.”

Miller claims to have every album and 45 rpm record the Rolling Stones have released. He also has every song loaded onto his cellphone, which he calls his “$700 record player.”

He also has taken the time to frame paraphernalia, tickets and programs from the many concerts he has attended. The frames are placed in the hallways and rooms in his Poland home. While it seems like a lot, Miller said there is a lot more in storage.

He said Mick Jagger pretty much kept to himself, but he had become good friends with drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021. One of his concert frames contains one of Watts’ drumsticks.

Miller got to become a regular backstage face at concerts and he learned a lot about the band members.

“One interesting thing a lot of people don’t know about Mick Jagger is that he will run up and down the aisles and runways, or will run on a treadmill before a concert,” John said. “He will run 5 to 10 miles before he performs.”

Kathy said she enjoys being a big fan along with John, and she has grown to love the Rolling Stones and the concerts.

“All the concerts have been exciting. I am just amazed by Mick Jagger and his energy. The audience is very well behaved too and we just enjoy the event. Many are very longtime fans now bringing their grandchildren (to the concerts),” she said.

For Miller, the concerts and collections continue, and he is not done yet.

“According to John’s latest Stone hunters, they will be in Cleveland in July 2024,” Kathy said.

To suggest a Saturday profile, contact Features Editor Burton Cole at bcole@tribtoday.com or Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com.