American musician best known as the guitarist, singer, songwriter and leader of the Steve Miller Band, one of the top-selling pop-rock acts during the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits like “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Rock’n Me,” “Take the Money and Run” and “Jet Airliner.” Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
Miller’s mother was a singer, and his father, Dr. George “Sonny” Miller was a pathologist. Involved in the music world as an amateur recording engineer, his father knew many musicians, and the Miller house was often a gathering place for stars like Charles Mingus and Les Paul. At the age of four, Steve received his first guitar, and Les Paul taught him his first chords. At the age of 12, he formed a blues band, “The Marksmen Combo,” which played locally until he went off to college at age 16.
From 1961 to 1963 he attended the University of Wisconsin, forming and playing in a band, “The Ardells,” with Boz Skaggs, dropping out in ’63 to take literature at Copenhagen University in Denmark during his senior year. Upon his return to the United States, he left college, six hours short of obtaining his degree in literature, and moved to Chicago in 1964. He formed a band to do local performances and released a single, “The Mother Song.” He decided to go to the University of Texas and take some music courses; unfortunately, he was not admitted and barely made it to San Francisco in his used Volkswagen Microbus in 1966.
In San Francisco, with other musicians, he formed the Steve Miller Band, playing locally. In 1967 Capitol Records signed the immediately successful rock group bearing his name. They debuted at the Avalon in January 1967 and were signed by Capital Records. From 1968 to 1992, the band toured extensively through the U.S., Great Britain and Europe, accomplishing four platinum records, many band member changes, sold-out performances and a few concerts for charitable organizations.
The band’s debut album Children of the Future (1968) established Miller’s early style, and the follow-up, Sailor (1968), was one of his best early releases. In 1973, The Joker met with instant success, but Miller was exhausted. In 1978, for the second time during his career, he decided to take some time off. He didn’t return until late 1981, and although the first effort after his return was a disappointment, he scored a hit with the album Abracadabra (1982). Unfortunately, it was his last major commercial success as well. In 1988, Miller gave his first live performance in five years, and in 1989, he began touring once again. In 1995, the “Steve Miller Band” reformed.
In January 1972, Miller was involved in a car accident and for many months performed in pain, until in March a final diagnosis of a broken neck was made. The injury coupled with hepatitis sidelined him for half of the year. It marked a turning point in his career in which he spent the time writing songs and reflecting on his life.
In 1974, he purchased a 312-acre farm outside of Medford, Oregon, installing a 24-track studio. Embittered with business problems and a falling out with his girlfriend, Miller broke up the band and took a sabbatical on the ranch for 14 months. His come-back performances have been deemed as weak by the critics, but billboard numbers and sales remained strong.
Miller has been married four times. His first marriage took place in 1969-1970 and lasted less than one year. He married again in the mid-1970s, but it also ended in divorce. During the 1990s, he and his third wife lived in Idaho. His current wife is Janice Ginsberg Miller.
Link to Wikipedia biography