Marcus Miller

Marcus Miller was born on June 14, 1959, in Brooklyn and raised in Rochdale Village, in the Jamaica section of Queens, New York. He inherited his musical talent from his father, an amateur jazz pianist and church organist. Early on, Miller felt the pull of r&b. After trying sax and organ he latched onto the bass at age 13. At 15, he played his first pro gig with the New York band, Harlem River Drive. Kenny Washington, introduced Miller to jazz; Miles Davis, whose band included Marcus' cousin Wynton Kelly, an early favorite. By this time he was 16, Marcus was playing with flutist Bobbi Humphrey and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith.
Miller spent a few years as a studio musician in New York, playing with Franklin, Flack, Bob James, David Sanborn and others. In 1980 he joined Miles Davis and went on to spend two years with the fabled jazzman. Davis was instrumental in helping him further developing his style.
Following this period, Miller produced his first major album, Sanborn's "Backstreet" and issued his own debut record, ‘Suddenly’. In 1986, he produced "Tutu" for Davis, followed by his 2nd solo album, "Marcus Miller." He also joined with drummer Lenny White in forming the funk-based ‘The Jamaica Boys’. In ‘91 Marcus won a Best R&B Song Grammy for ‘Power of Love/Love Power’, a song he co-wrote with Teddy Vann and Luther Vandross. He returned to live playing in late 1993 with the release of ‘The Sun Don’t Lie’.
In 1994 Marcus released ‘Tales’. With ‘Tales’ Miller re-imagines the landscape of black music and its evolution over the past three decades with brilliant, provocative results. Since then he has continued to collaborate with a long list of prominent musicians and has contributed to almost 300 albums.