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Singer+guitarist Steve Miller was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA, on
October 5, 1943, many members of his family were musicians and he received
his first guitar at age 4.
In 1950 Miller family relocated to Dallas where the young guitarist met
Boz Scaggs, the two school-friends formed their first band; Steve Miller
moved to Chicago in 1964 to get involved in the local blues scene, finally,
two years later, he moved to San Francisco and put together the Steve
Miller Band's first line-up comprising vocalist Boz Scaggs, bassist Lonnie
Turner, organist Jim Peterman and drummer Tim Davis.
The group signed with Capitol Records and flew to England to record their
first album "Children Of The Future" which was issued in May
1968, that same year they released a second album, "Sailor",
which peaked at #24 in U.S. Pop Albums chart and spawned two memorable
smash hits such as "Living In The U.S.A." and "Gangster
Of Love".
The next year Scaggs departed to begin his solo career and Peterman also
left, the band recorded the second top 30 U.S. hit, "Brave New World",
with Nicky Hopkins on keyboards, this album was mastered in England where
Miller recorded the track "My Dark Hour" with Paul McCartney
on drums and bass, the record included the single "Space Cowboy".
The band's fourth LP, "Your Saving Grace", came out before the
year's end.
In early 1970 Lonnie Turner quit and was replaced by keysman Bobby Winkleman,
the line-up at that time was Miller, Winkleman guitarist Wayne Moss, harmonica
player Charlie McCoy, fiddler Buddy Spicher and drummer Jim Tillman, they
released "Number 5" which reached the #23 spot in U.S. Pop Albums
chart.
During the following two years Steve Miller with his band recorded two
albums but failed to achieve the success of their previous recordings.
After a gap of nearly a year and a half , the guitarist re-assembled his
band, he recruited Gerald Johnson on bass, Dicky Thompson on keyboards
and Jack King on drums; the revitalized Steve Miller Band released its
breakthrough commercial hit "The Joker", the title-track hit
#1 on Pop Singles chart and pushed the album to #2 in U.S. chart.
The group, featuring Lonnie Turner on bass and Gary Mallaber on drums,
resurfaced in 1976 with "Fly Like An Eagle" which climbed into
the top 3 of The Pop Albums chart, in the United States went quadruple
platinum and provided a major breakthrough in Britain, the single "Rock'
N Me" reached the top in U.S. Pop Singles chart, also the title-track
and "Take The Money And Run" gained success in the same chart.
A year later, with the addition of Byron Allred on keyboards in the line-up,
the band released "Book Of Dreams", it peaked at #2 on Pop chart,
selling over three million copies and spawned the top 10 smash hit single
"Jet Airliner" plus the top 40 hit, "Jungle Love".
"Greatest Hits 1974-1978", a great collection album of classic
tunes, was issued in 1978, by the time it became multi-platinum sellers
for the band.
Lonnie Turner was replaced by Gerald Johnson before Steve Miller Band
returned in 1981 with "Circle Of Love", the album missed the
top 10 in U.S. chart, went gold thanks to "Heart Like A Wheel"
which hit #24 on Pop Singles chart, the album contained on side-two the
over-long track "Macho City".
With the addition of guitarists Kenny Lee Lewis and John Massaro, the
band released "Abracadabra" in June 1982, the twelfth album
climbed into the top 3 of The U.S. Pop Albums chart and reached platinum
status; the title-track shot to #1 spot on The Pop Singles chart, followed
the minor hit single "Give It Up".
The next year appeared the excellent "Steve Miller Band: Live!"
and John Massaro and Gerald Johnson departed.
Miller released in November of 1984 "Italian X Rays" to little
attention; the follow-up, much more Blues-oriented, "Living In The
20th Century", was issued two years later and peaked at #65 on The
Billboard 200 chart, this album yielded the hit "I Want To Make The
World Turn Around" which topped The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart,
the second single "Nobody But You Baby" peaked at #9 in the
same chart.
In 1988 another single, "Ya Ya", cracked the top 10 of The Billboard
Mainstream Rock chart, it was taken from the album "Born 2B Blue",
recorded with a completely new band and consisted of remakes of 10 jazz
and blues standards.
Steve Miller re-emerged in 1993 with "Wide River", the first
album of his career on a label other than Capitol, at the time the band
consist of guitarist David Denny, bassist Billy Peterson, organist Ben
Sidran, keyboardist Leo Sidran, tenor saxophone player Bob Malach, harmonica
player Norton Buffalo and drummer Gordy Knudtson.
During the summer of 1995, Miller and Paul McCartney worked together recording
several original tunes, subsequently the singer+guitarist and his band
continued to performing at sold out concerts throughout the United States
selling over a million albums per year.
Steve Miller Band biography is an exclusive of 100xr.com
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