Steve Miller | |
|---|---|
 Steve Miller in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Steven Haworth Miller |
| Born | (1943-10-05)October 5, 1943 (age 81) Milwaukee,Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Member of | Steve Miller Band |
| Website | stevemillerband |
Steven Haworth Miller (born October 5, 1943)[1][2] is an American musician. He is the founder and only remaining original member of theSteve Miller Band, which he founded in 1966, and is the principal songwriter, lead singer, harmonicist, keyboardist, and one of the guitarists. He began his career inblues andblues rock and evolved to a more pop-orientedarena rock genre during the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, releasing popular singles and albums. Miller was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.[3]
Born inMilwaukee, Miller received his first exposure to music from his mother Bertha, whom he described as a remarkable jazz-influenced singer, and his father George, a physician known as "Sonny" who, in addition to his profession as apathologist, was a jazz enthusiast and an accomplished amateurrecording engineer. Guitar virtuosoLes Paul and his musical partnerMary Ford were regular visitors at the Miller house. The Millers were the best man and the matron of honor at the December 1949 Paul/Ford wedding. Paul became Steve's godfather.[4] Les Paul heard Steve, who was six, on awire recording made by his father, "banging away" on a guitar given to him by his uncle, K. Dale Atterbury.[5] Paul encouraged Miller to continue with his interest in the guitar... and "perhaps he will be something one day."
In 1950, the family relocated toDallas. Many distinguished musicians came to their house to record and Steve absorbed much from "greats" such asT-Bone Walker,Charles Mingus, andTal Farlow. Walker taught Steve how to play his guitar behind his back and also with his teeth in 1952. In 1955, Steven began attendingSt. Mark's School in Dallas, a non-denominational preparatory day school for boys where he formed his first band, The Marksmen.
He taught his older brother Buddy to play the electric bass and also instructed his classmate,Boz Scaggs, on guitar chords so that he could join the band. After leaving St. Mark's—"I got kicked out", he recalled with a laugh in a 2004 interview[6]—he then attended a school in theLakewood area of Dallas,Woodrow Wilson High School, from which he graduated in 1961. He was inducted into Woodrow's Hall of Fame in 2009. Another member isDusty Hill of ZZ Top.
In 1962,[7] Miller returned toWisconsin, and entered theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison, where he formedThe Ardells. Scaggs joined the Ardells the next year, andBen Sidran became the band's keyboardist in the following year.[8] After attending theUniversity of Copenhagen inDenmark for a semester in his senior year to study comparative literature,[2] Miller dropped out six credit hours shy of a literature degree, opting to pursue a music career with his mother's encouragement and his father's misgivings:
[Interviewer:]When you look back over the span of your career, what are the lasting moments, the sweetest highs?
[Miller:] I would have to say my father's relationship with Les Paul and T-Bone Walker when I was young. Growing up in Dallas, being part of that phenomenal music scene. I found a way to do what I really wanted to do, which is so important for a kid. Near the end of college, my parents said, 'Steve, what are you going to do?' I said, 'I want to go to Chicago and play the blues.' My father looked at me like I was insane. But my mom said, 'You should do it now.' So I went to Chicago. And that was a special time. I played with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. I got to work with adults and realized music was what I wanted to do, what I loved.[6]
Upon his return to the United States, Miller moved toChicago where he immersed himself in the city's blues scene. During his time there, he worked with harmonica playerPaul Butterfield and jammed with blues greatsMuddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf, andBuddy Guy, all of whom encouraged the young guitarist to pursue music.[8] In 1965, Miller and keyboardistBarry Goldberg formed the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band and began playing on the Chicago club scene.[4] They signed withEpic Records and released a single, "The Mother Song". They began a residency at aNew York City blues club.[8]
When Miller returned from New York, he was disappointed by theChicago blues scene, so he moved toTexas in hopes of finishing his education at theUniversity of Texas at Austin. He was disenchanted with academic politics at the university and took aVolkswagen Bus his father had given him and headed toSan Francisco. After arriving he used his last $5 to see theButterfield Blues Band andJefferson Airplane atthe Fillmore Auditorium. He fell in love with the vibrant San Francisco music scene and decided to stay.
In 1966, he formed theSteve Miller Band (at first calledThe Steve Miller Blues Band), with Miller doing the vocals. They backedChuck Berry on hisLive at Fillmore Auditorium album released that year. In 1968, they released an album,Children of the Future,[8] the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that then dominated the San Francisco scene. Writing inCrawdaddy!,Peter Knobler called the album "a triple moment of experience, knowledge, inspiration".[9] Boz Scaggs rejoined Miller for this album and the next one, before starting his solo career.
The group followed the release of their second album,Sailor, withBrave New World,Your Saving Grace, andNumber 5. These albums performed respectably on the U.S.Billboard 200chart but failed to yield a majorhit single. The highest single was "Livin' in the USA" fromSailor. Songs from this period are featured in a portion of the double album compilationAnthology, which includes a guest appearance on bass guitar, drums, and backing vocals byPaul McCartney (as Paul Ramon) on "Celebration Song" and "My Dark Hour".
Miller established his persona of the "Gangster of Love" (fromSailor)[8] and the "Space Cowboy" (fromBrave New World), which were reused in later works. In 1972, Miller recorded the albumRecall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden, in which a third persona, "Maurice", was introduced in the tune "Enter Maurice".
In 1973,The Joker marked the start of the second phase of Miller's career: this work was less blues[10] oriented and simpler in composition. The album received significant radioairplay, which helped the title track reach number one on theBillboard Hot 100 chart. The single hit No 1 on theUK Singles Chart in September 1990 after it was used for a television commercial.[8]
Miller followed up withFly Like an Eagle in 1976, andBook of Dreams in 1977. (The songs for both had been recorded at the same time, and released over two single albums rather than one double-album.) This pair of albums represented the peak of Miller's commercial career, both reaching the top echelons of the album charts and spawning a lengthy series of hit singles, including "Fly Like an Eagle", "Rock'n Me", "Take the Money and Run", "Jet Airliner", and "Jungle Love".[8] The Steve Miller Band co-headlined a major stadium tour with theEagles in 1978.
The Steve Miller Band's ongoing popularity has been notable. In 1978,Greatest Hits 1974–78 was released, featuring the big hits from his two most popular albums,Fly Like an Eagle andBook of Dreams along with the title track fromThe Joker. This popularity also fueled successful concert tours throughout the 1980s and 1990s, often with large numbers of younger people being present at the concerts, many of whom were fans of the big hits and inevitably purchased the greatest hits album. Miller would often headline shows with other classic rock acts, and played a variety of his music, including a selection of his blues work dating from the late 1960s.
Miller developed a high degree of music business acumen. He knew that songs earn individual publishing royalties no matter what their length and separated the 57-second electronic introduction from the song "Sacrifice" onBook of Dreams, named it "Electro Lux Imbroglio", and published it separately earning thousands of extra dollars as a result.[citation needed] On the heels of this massive success, Miller took a long hiatus from recording and touring, emerging in 1981 withCircle of Love. Sales were disappointing, however, and in 1982 he returned to the pop formula with another hit album,Abracadabra.[8] This was Miller's last great commercial success; a series of collections, live albums and attempts to find a new style appeared in 1984 (Italian X-Rays), 1986 (Living in the 20th Century), and 1988 (Born 2B Blue). He releasedWide River in 1993, which was his only studio release of new material between 1988 and 2010.
Miller releasedBingo! on June 15, 2010. The album of bluescovers, issued through his own Space Cowboy label in partnership withRoadrunner Records/ Loud & Proud Records, was his first studio album release since 1993.[11]Let Your Hair Down, a companion release toBingo!, was released 10 months later (on April 18, 2011).[12]
For the 2010–11 academic year, Miller was an Artist in Residence at theUSC Thornton School of Music, where he taught students in the Popular Music and Music Industry programs.[13]
At a guitar auction in 2011, Miller said that he owned 450 guitars.[14]
In 2016, Miller was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony caused controversy because of Miller's disparaging remarks about the experience being "unpleasant," saying that the Hall of Fame was misogynistic and ignoring the "need to respect the artists they say they're honoring, which they don't." His speech that night only hinted at his anger, congenially thanking the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "for all of your hard work on behalf of all musicians," but adding, "and I encourage you to keep expanding your vision, to be more inclusive of women and to be more transparent in your dealings with the public, and most importantly, to do much more to provide music in our schools." Miller himself said part of his angry behavior that evening was because the Hall vetoed his proposal to be inducted byElton John, as he "knows me and probably knows my music better than most people", and its controlling aspects such as the licensing contracts.[15]The Black Keys, who were asked to induct Miller and accepted, having been long-time fans, later stated that they regretted the experience.Dan Auerbach said that for him andPatrick Carney, the unpleasant experience was being around Miller, as he had no idea who the band was and did not care. Auerbach and Carney left the ceremony as soon as they finished their speech, instead of staying for the entire event.[16]
In May 2024,Eminem released the single "Houdini", which prominently samples Steve Miller Band's 1982 hit "Abracadabra". Steve Miller praised Eminem for the sample, expressing honor and appreciation for the respectful use of his music.
Miller has been married four times[17] and his current wife is Janice Ginsberg Miller.[18] From 1976 to 1986, Miller owned theLippincott-Wagner House and a 420-acre (170 ha) ranch in the hamlet ofWilliams,Oregon. In 2015, it was placed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[19]
Miller is a member of theBohemian Club.[20]
