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Steve
Miller was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 5, 1943.
His mother was an accomplished singer, and his father, Dr.
George "Sonny" Miller, was a physician by profession
and an amateur recording engineer in his spare time. Many
members of Steve's family were musicians, and he received
his first guitar at age 4. Steve put it to good use performing
songs for his family and playmates.
Les
Paul, the inventor of the electric guitar and multi-track
recording, and his wife, Mary Ford, were regular visitors
at the Miller house. In fact, Steve's father was best man
at their wedding. Les and Mary taught Steve his first chords
when he was five years old. Steve still uses some of the
techniques they taught him at that time.
The
Miller family moved to Dallas, Texas in 1950. Steve's dad
continued recording various styles of music. Great musicians
of the time continued to appear at the Miller house, including
legendary blues man T-Bone Walker.
The
Marksmen, Steve's first band, was formed when he was only
12 years old. This rock and roll band had a solid booking
the entire semester playing mostly for fraternities. Steve
taught his older brother to play bass so he wouldn't have
to rely on his mother for transportation.
The
Marksmen continued to play for 5 more years. In high school,
Steve asked his friend,"Boz" Scaggs, to perform
vocals with the band. The greatest moment for them was when
they backed blues hero, Jimmy Reed, at a local night club.
However, at age 16 Steve left for college, which forced
the band to break up. Steve attended the University of Wisconsin
at Madison and formed a new band called The Ardells. Steve
taught Boz Scaggs some chords, and he joined The Ardells
the next year.
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