Steve Miller

Steven Haworth Miller (born October 5, 1943) is an American musician. He is the frontman, principal songwriter, lead singer, lead guitarist and only continuous member of the Steve Miller Band, which he founded in 1966. He began his career in blues and blues rock and evolved to a more pop-oriented arena rock sound during the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, releasing popular singles and albums. Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

Born in Milwaukee, Miller received his first exposure to music from his mother Bertha, whom he described as a remarkable jazz-influenced singer, and his physician father George ("Sonny") who, in addition to his profession as a pathologist, was a jazz enthusiast and an accomplished amateur recording engineer.

Guitar virtuoso Les Paul and his musical partner Mary Ford were regular visitors at the Miller house. The Millers were the best man and matron of honor at the December 1949 Paul/Ford wedding, and Paul became Steve's godfather. Les Paul heard six-year-old Steve on a wire recording made by his father. The boy was "banging away" on a guitar given to him by his uncle, K. Dale Atterbury. Paul encouraged Miller to continue with his interest in the guitar… and "perhaps he will be something one day."

In 1950, the family relocated to Dallas. Many distinguished musicians came to their house to record, and Steve absorbed much from "greats" such as T-Bone Walker, Charles Mingus, and Tal Farlow. Walker taught Steve how to play his guitar behind his back and with his teeth.

In 1955, Steve began attending St. Mark's School in Dallas, a non-denominational boys' preparatory day school where he formed his first band, The Marksmen. He taught his older brother Buddy how to play electric bass and instructed his classmate Boz Scaggs on guitar chords so Scaggs could join the band. After leaving St. Mark's—"I got kicked out", Miller recalled later—he attended a school in the Lakewood area of Dallas, Woodrow Wilson High School, where he graduated in 1961.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.