Jimmy Miller (March 23, 1942 – October 22, 1994) was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is known primarily for his work with several key musical acts of the 1960s and 1970s.
Jimmy Miller | |
|---|---|
 Miller (center) with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger in 1969 | |
| Born | March 23, 1942 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | October 22, 1994 (aged 52) Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouses |
Geri Miller (m. 1970–1991) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Family | Judith Miller (half-sister) |
Miller rose to prominence working with the various bands of vocalist Steve Winwood (including Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith). His best acclaimed work was his late 1960s-early 1970s work with the Rolling Stones for whom he produced a string of singles and albums that rank among the most critically and financially successful works of the band's career: Beggars Banquet (1968), Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972) and Goats Head Soup (1973).[1] In the late 1970s, he began working with Motörhead and continued to produce until his death in 1994.[2]
Early life
editMiller was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Anne Wingate and Bill Miller. Bill was a Las Vegas entertainment director who had booked Elvis Presley into the International Hotel for his 1969 return to live performance.[3] Jimmy's half-sister Judith recalled that "Jimmy’s musical life had started at age 8 playing the drums, writing music, and crooning."[4]
Career
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2023) |
Miller first trained and worked as the protege of Stanley Borden (RKO, Artia, After Hours Unique). Borden, the original backer of Island Records, suggested Miller to Chris Blackwell, who brought him to the United Kingdom.
Miller's first job in the UK was to remix a single from the Spencer Davis Group which had done well in the UK charts, "Gimme Some Lovin'".[5] Blackwell recalled that Miller introduced "a kind of wild magic" and "turns up the heat, threatens some kind of chaos", which resulted in "a new sound." Miller's remix entered the US top ten and broke the band in the country. He then co-wrote its follow-up "I'm A Man" with the band's singer-keyboardist, Steve Winwood.
After Winwood left the band in 1967, Miller continued to work with Winwood by producing Winwood's band Traffic as well as the sole album by the Eric Clapton–Winwood supergroup Blind Faith. During this period, Miller also produced the UK Number 1 single for The Move, "Blackberry Way", the first two albums by Spooky Tooth and co-produced (with Delaney Bramlett) the hit Delaney & Bonnie album from 1969, On Tour with Eric Clapton.
In addition to producing five of their albums, Miller notably added instrumentation to several songs by the Rolling Stones. His contributions include the opening cowbell on "Honky Tonk Women" and drumming on "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Tumbling Dice," "Happy," and "Shine a Light."
In the late 70s, Miller collaborated with Motörhead and produced two of their albums, Overkill and Bomber. In 1983, Miller produced Johnny Thunders's In Cold Blood.[6] In 1991, Miller helped produce Primal Scream's breakthrough album Screamadelica. Miller also produced three tracks for the Wedding Present's 1992 compilation Hit Parade 2.
Personal life
editMiller's marriage to Gayle Shepherd, a member of the singing group the Shepherd Sisters, produced a daughter, singer Deena Miller.
Miller and his second wife Geraldine had a son, Michael, who died at the age of 32. Through Geraldine, Jimmy Miller had a stepson, Steven Miller, a news photographer who spent 25 years working for The New York Times. Geraldine died of breast cancer in 1991, three years before Jimmy Miller's own death in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 52, from liver failure.[3]
His half-sister was Judith Miller, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times who was imprisoned for not revealing her sources in the Plame–Wilson CIA affair.[7]
Discography
edit| Year | Artist | Album details |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Traffic | Mr. Fantasy |
| 1968 | Spooky Tooth | It's All About |
| 1968 | Traffic | Traffic |
| 1968 | The Rolling Stones | Beggars Banquet |
| 1969 | Spooky Tooth | Spooky Two |
| 1969 | Traffic | Last Exit |
| 1969 | The Rolling Stones | Let It Bleed |
| 1969 | Blind Faith | Blind Faith |
| 1970 | Delaney & Bonnie & Friends | On Tour with Eric Clapton |
| 1970 | Ginger Baker's Air Force | Ginger Baker's Air Force |
| 1970 | Sky | Don't Hold Back[8] |
| 1970 | Sky | Sailor's Delight[8] |
| 1971 | The Rolling Stones | Sticky Fingers |
| 1972 | The Rolling Stones | Exile on Main St. |
| 1972 | Kracker | La Familia |
| 1972 | Bobby Whitlock | Raw Velvet |
| 1973 | The Rolling Stones | Goats Head Soup |
| 1973 | Kracker | Kracker Brand |
| 1974 | Locomotiv GT | Locomotiv GT |
| 1979 | Trapeze | Hold On |
| 1979 | Motörhead | Overkill |
| 1979 | Motörhead | Bomber |
| 1980 | Plasmatics | New Hope for the Wretched |
| 1991 | Primal Scream | Screamadelica |
References
edit- ^ Sunday Morning Playlist: Top Twenty Record Producers of the Rock Era – Page 5 Archived June 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Jimmy Miller Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ^ a b "Jimmy Miller, 52, Recording Producer". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 24, 1994. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ^ Miller, Judith (October 23, 2019). "Mr Jimmy". Tablet.
- ^ Blackwell, Chris (2022). The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond (1st ed.). New York: Hodder.
- ^ "Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ Miller, Judith (October 23, 2019). "Mr. Jimmy". Tablet. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Sky: A look back at Doug Fieger before The Knack - National Rock Review
External links
edit- Jimmy Miller discography at Discogs