Steve Miller Band Biography
Birth Name: NULL
Born: 1943/10/05
Birth Place: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died: NULL
Years Active: 1967–present
Genres: Blues-rock, Art Rock
Born: 1943/10/05
Birth Place: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died: NULL
Years Active: 1967–present
Genres: Blues-rock, Art Rock
Steve Miller (born October 5, 1943, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. Beginning his career in blues and blues rock, Miller's music later changed to a more popular-oriented sound which earned him success with a series of singles and albums from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s.
Upon leaving college in the early 1960s, Miller moved to Chicago where he immersed himself in the city's blues scene. During his time there, he worked with harmonica player Paul Butterfield and jammed with blues greats Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Buddy Guy, all of whom offered the young guitarist encouragement to pursue a musical career. In 1965, Miller and keyboardist Barry Goldberg formed the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band and began playing on the Chicago club scene. They signed with Epic Records and released a single, “The Mother Song,” and soon began a residency at a New York City blues club.
Miller then landed in San Francisco and upon arrival, used his last $5 to see the Butterfield Blues Band and Jefferson Airplane at the Fillmore Auditorium. Miller fell in love with the vibrant San Francisco music scene and decided to stay.
In 1967, he formed the Steve Miller Band (at first called The Steve Miller Blues Band), with Miller also handling vocals. Billed as The Miller Band, they backed Chuck Berry on his “Live at Fillmore Auditorium” album released that year. In 1968, they released an album, “Children of the Future,” the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that then dominated the San Francisco scene. Boz Scaggs rejoined Miller for this album and the next one, before starting his own solo career.
The group followed with the release of their second album, 1968’s “Sailor,” with the albums “Brave New World” and “Your Saving Grace” in 1969 and “Number 5” in 1970. These first five albums performed respectably on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums chart but failed to yield a major hit single, with the highest charted single being “Livin' in the USA” from “Sailor.” Songs from this period are also featured in a portion of the double album compilation “Anthology,” which includes a guest appearance on bass guitar, drums and backing vocals by Paul McCartney on the songs “Celebration” and “My Dark Hour.”
In 1973, “The Joker” marked the start of the second phase of Miller's career as this work was less hard-rock oriented and simpler in composition. The album received significant radio airplay, which helped the title track reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. The single also hit #1 on the U.K. Singles chart in September 1990 after it was used for a television commercial.
Miller followed up with “Fly Like an Eagle” in 1976, and “Book of Dreams” in 1977. 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” (written by Paul Pena) and “Jungle Love.”
On the heels of this massive success, Miller took a long hiatus from recording and touring, emerging in 1981 with “Circle of Love.” Sales were disappointing, however, and in 1982 he returned to the pop formula with another hit album, “Abracadabra.” This was Miller's last great commercial success. A series of collections, live albums and attempts to find a new style appeared in 1984 with “Italian X-Rays,” in 1986 with “Living in the 20th Century and in 1988 with “Born 2B Blue” but after 1993's effort, “Wide River,” Miller gave up recording records altogether for some considerable time.
Although the Steve Miller Band had limited peak commercial success, his ongoing popularity has been notable. In 1978, “Greatest Hits 1974-1978” was released. The album contained all the big hits from his two most popular albums, “Fly Like an Eagle” and “Book of Dreams,” plus the title track from “The Joker,” which were recorded during the same recording sessions in 1976 and subsequently released one year apart.
Miller released “Bingo!“ in 2010. The album of blues covers was his first in 17 years. In 2011 the Steve Miller Band released the album, “Let Your Hair Down” which, like "Bingo!" was released on Miller’s Space Cowboy Records in partnership with Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records. For the 2010-2011 school year, Miller was an Artist in Residence at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he taught students in the Popular Music and Music Industry programs.
Upon leaving college in the early 1960s, Miller moved to Chicago where he immersed himself in the city's blues scene. During his time there, he worked with harmonica player Paul Butterfield and jammed with blues greats Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Buddy Guy, all of whom offered the young guitarist encouragement to pursue a musical career. In 1965, Miller and keyboardist Barry Goldberg formed the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band and began playing on the Chicago club scene. They signed with Epic Records and released a single, “The Mother Song,” and soon began a residency at a New York City blues club.
Miller then landed in San Francisco and upon arrival, used his last $5 to see the Butterfield Blues Band and Jefferson Airplane at the Fillmore Auditorium. Miller fell in love with the vibrant San Francisco music scene and decided to stay.
In 1967, he formed the Steve Miller Band (at first called The Steve Miller Blues Band), with Miller also handling vocals. Billed as The Miller Band, they backed Chuck Berry on his “Live at Fillmore Auditorium” album released that year. In 1968, they released an album, “Children of the Future,” the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that then dominated the San Francisco scene. Boz Scaggs rejoined Miller for this album and the next one, before starting his own solo career.
The group followed with the release of their second album, 1968’s “Sailor,” with the albums “Brave New World” and “Your Saving Grace” in 1969 and “Number 5” in 1970. These first five albums performed respectably on the U.S. Billboard 200 Albums chart but failed to yield a major hit single, with the highest charted single being “Livin' in the USA” from “Sailor.” Songs from this period are also featured in a portion of the double album compilation “Anthology,” which includes a guest appearance on bass guitar, drums and backing vocals by Paul McCartney on the songs “Celebration” and “My Dark Hour.”
In 1973, “The Joker” marked the start of the second phase of Miller's career as this work was less hard-rock oriented and simpler in composition. The album received significant radio airplay, which helped the title track reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. The single also hit #1 on the U.K. Singles chart in September 1990 after it was used for a television commercial.
Miller followed up with “Fly Like an Eagle” in 1976, and “Book of Dreams” in 1977. 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” (written by Paul Pena) and “Jungle Love.”
On the heels of this massive success, Miller took a long hiatus from recording and touring, emerging in 1981 with “Circle of Love.” Sales were disappointing, however, and in 1982 he returned to the pop formula with another hit album, “Abracadabra.” This was Miller's last great commercial success. A series of collections, live albums and attempts to find a new style appeared in 1984 with “Italian X-Rays,” in 1986 with “Living in the 20th Century and in 1988 with “Born 2B Blue” but after 1993's effort, “Wide River,” Miller gave up recording records altogether for some considerable time.
Although the Steve Miller Band had limited peak commercial success, his ongoing popularity has been notable. In 1978, “Greatest Hits 1974-1978” was released. The album contained all the big hits from his two most popular albums, “Fly Like an Eagle” and “Book of Dreams,” plus the title track from “The Joker,” which were recorded during the same recording sessions in 1976 and subsequently released one year apart.
Miller released “Bingo!“ in 2010. The album of blues covers was his first in 17 years. In 2011 the Steve Miller Band released the album, “Let Your Hair Down” which, like "Bingo!" was released on Miller’s Space Cowboy Records in partnership with Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records. For the 2010-2011 school year, Miller was an Artist in Residence at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he taught students in the Popular Music and Music Industry programs.
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