Jump to content

Marcus Miller

From Alfawiki
Marcus Miller
Born
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr.

(1959-06-14) June 14, 1959 (age 67)
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Bassist, composer, record producer
Years active1979–present
Known forCollaborations with Miles Davis, Luther Vandross; solo funk and R&B albums; co-writing "Da Butt"

William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an accomplished American bassist, composer, and record producer. Throughout his career, he has worked alongside distinguished musicians such as trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, vocalist Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sanborn. Miller served as the chief songwriter and producer on three of Davis's albums: Tutu (1986), Music from Siesta (1987), and Amandla (1989). His collaboration with Vandross holds particular importance; Miller co-produced and arranged the majority of Vandross’s records and co-authored numerous hits including "I Really Didn't Mean It", "Any Love", "Power of Love/Love Power", and "Don't Want to Be a Fool". Additionally, he co-wrote the 1988 track "Da Butt" performed by Experience Unlimited.

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York City, on June 14, 1959, William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. grew up in a musically inclined household—his father, William Miller, was an organist and choir leader at their church. He is also related to jazz pianist Wynton Kelly. Initially trained in classical clarinet, Miller later broadened his instrumental expertise to include keyboards, saxophone, and guitar.

Career

Miller’s early professional years were spent in New York City, where he played bass and composed for jazz flautist Bobbi Humphrey and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith. Drawing inspiration from bassists James Jamerson and Larry Graham, he dedicated approximately fifteen years to session work while also engaging in arranging and production. Between 1979 and 1981, he was a member of the Saturday Night Live band. Collaborating with Luther Vandross, Miller co-wrote Aretha Franklin’s "Jump To It" and provided vocals alongside Vandross on David Bowie’s 1986 single "Underground" from the movie Labyrinth. His bass playing features on over 500 recordings spanning artists such as Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Herbie Hancock, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, The Crusaders, Wayne Shorter, Frank Sinatra, and George Benson. Recognized for his exceptional musicianship, Miller earned the "Most Valuable Player" accolade from NARAS for three consecutive years before being named "player emeritus."

In the mid-1980s, Miller embarked on a solo career focusing on funk and R&B genres with albums like Suddenly (1983) and Marcus Miller (1984), taking charge as principal songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist. Since then, he has released ten additional solo records, occasionally lending his voice.

From 1988 to 1990, Miller acted as musical director and bassist for the house band on NBC’s late-night program Sunday Night (also known as Night Music), hosted by David Sanborn and Jools Holland.

As a composer, he contributed significantly to Miles Davis’s album Tutu, co-writing and producing several tracks including the title piece. Other notable compositions include David Sanborn’s "Chicago Song" and multiple songs for Luther Vandross such as "'Til My Baby Comes Home", "It's Over Now", "For You to Love", and "Power of Love". He penned "Da Butt" for Spike Lee’s film School Daze and appeared on Najee's 1992 album Just An Illusion.

In 1997, Miller became part of the supergroup Legends alongside Eric Clapton, Joe Sample, David Sanborn, and Steve Gadd for an eleven-date European jazz festival tour. A decade later in 2008, he co-founded the bass trio supergroup SMV with Stanley Clarke and Victor Wooten; they released their debut album Thunder followed by an extensive global tour lasting eighteen months. In 2011, he joined Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter on tour commemorating the twentieth anniversary of Miles Davis’s passing.

In 2017, Miller shared top billing at the Playboy Jazz Festival with rapper Common.

He currently hosts Miller Time with Marcus Miller, a jazz history program broadcast on Sirius XM's Real Jazz channel. Alongside his performance career, Miller has composed scores for films directed by Reginald Hudlin and Chris Rock.

Having learned French and Spanish later in life—beginning in his late forties—Miller occasionally integrates these languages into interviews and live performances, such as when introducing "Preacher's Kid," a song dedicated to his father.

Awards and honors

Marcus Miller has been nominated several times for Grammy Awards in his role as a producer, collaborating with renowned artists such as Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chaka Khan, and Wayne Shorter. His accolades include two Grammy wins: the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1992 for Luther Vandross' track "Power of Love" and the Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2001 for M², his seventh solo release. Additionally, his 2015 album Afrodeezia received a nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

In 2012, Miller was designated a UNESCO Artist for Peace, supporting the UNESCO Slave Route Project. Later, in December 2021, Bass Player magazine presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Instruments

Miller performs using a transparent blonde 1977 Fender Jazz Bass that has been customized by luthier Roger Sadowsky, incorporating a Stars Guitar and Bartolini TCT preamp to improve studio versatility. Fender created Marcus Miller signature Jazz Basses available in both four- and five-string models; these were originally manufactured in Japan and the United States before production of the four-string shifted to Mexico. Both versions were discontinued in 2015. DR Strings developed Marcus Miller signature "Fat Beams" stainless-steel strings.

Since 2015, the Korean company Sire Guitars has produced the Marcus Miller V7 line, inspired by his Fender Jazz bass design and offering a variety of body styles and pricing options. That same year, Dunlop introduced Marcus Miller Super Bright bass strings, which he uses.

Studio albums

Year Title US Pop US R&B US Jazz US C. Jazz US Indie UK Jazz Label
1983 Suddenly Warner Bros.
1984 Marcus Miller
1993 The Sun Don't Lie 93 10 7 Dreyfus Jazz
1995 Tales 12 7 2
2001 M² 2 1 27 6 Telarc
2002 The Ozell Tapes Dreyfus Jazz
2005 Silver Rain 5 2 15 Koch
2007 Free Dreyfus Jazz
2008 Marcus 191 29 7 3 Concord
2008 Thunder with SMV Heads Up
2012 Renaissance 170 1 1 17 Concord
2015 Afrodeezia 3 1 6 Blue Note
2018 Laid Black 1 1 12

Live albums

Year Title US Jazz US C. Jazz UK Jazz Label
1994 'Dreyfus Night in Paris' featuring Michel Petrucciani, Biréli Lagrène, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White Dreyfus Jazz
1996 'Live & More' 8 6 10 GRP
2002 'The Ozell Tapes Live: The Official Bootleg' 26 Telarc
2009 'A Night in Monte Carlo – Live 2009' 16 10 Dreyfus Jazz

Singles

Year Title Highest chart rankings Album
Hot R&B/
Hip-Hop
Songs 		Smooth Jazz
Airplay 		Dance Club
Songs 		Adult R&B
Airplay
1983 "Lovin' You" 55 — — — Suddenly
1984 "My Best Friend's Girlfriend" 53 — 36 — Marcus Miller
2008 "Free"
(Marcus Miller featuring Corinne Bailey Rae) 		— 9 — 19 Marcus
2012 "Detroit"
(Marcus Miller) 		— 14 — — Renaissance
2019 "Korogocho"
(Kirk Whalum featuring Marcus Miller and Barry Likumahuwa) 		— 5 — — Kirk Whalum – Humanité
2021 "The City That Never Sleeps"
(Philippe Saisse featuring Marcus Miller) 		— 18 — — Philippe Saisse – (Non-album single)

Live DVDs

Tutu Revisited – Live 2010

As a member

The Jamaica Boys

  • The Jamaica Boys (WEA, 1987)
  • J. Boys (Reprise, 1990)

As sideman

With Mindi Abair

  • Based on a True Story (Pretty Good For A Girl, 2025)

With Joan Armatrading

With Sweet Pea Atkinson

  • Get What You Deserve (Blue Note, 2017)

With Aztec Camera

With Bee Gees

With George Benson

  • Numerous releases under Warner Bros., such as In Your Eyes (1983) and Songs and Stories (Concord, 2009)

With Jonatha Brooke

  • Steady Pull (Bad Dog Records, 2001)

With Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack

With Jimmy Buffett

With Jonathan Butler

  • Significant works include Heal Our Hand (Jive, 1990) and Ubuntu (Artistry, 2023)

With Mariah Carey

  • Noteworthy albums: self-titled debut (Columbia, 1990) and Merry Christmas (Columbia, 1994)

With Natalie Cole

With Miles Davis

  • Participated in key projects like Tutu (Warner Bros., 1986) and the compilation box set The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux (2002)

With Roberta Flack

  • Albums including I'm the One (Atlantic, 1982) and Oasis (Atlantic, 1988)

With Whitney Houston

  • Contributions to the album Whitney (Arista, 1987)

With Chaka Khan

  • Collaborated on several Warner Bros. albums such as Naughty (1980), Destiny (1986), and The Woman I Am (1992)

With David Sanborn

  • Extensive partnership spanning over ten years with albums like Hideaway (Warner Bros., 1980) and Inside (Elektra, 1999)

With Bryan Ferry

  • Featured on multiple albums from the mid-1980s through the early 2010s

With others

  • Worked alongside renowned artists including Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Grover Washington Jr., Bill Withers, among others across diverse genres and labels.

Film scores

Media appearances

In 2017, Miller was featured on the Armenian talk show titled Nice Evening.

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Marcus_Miller&oldid=72232"