Marcus Miller
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and David Sanborn, among others.[1][2][3] He was the main songwriter and producer on three of Davis' albums: Tutu (1986), Music from Siesta (1987), and Amandla (1989). His collaboration with Vandross was especially close; he co-produced and served as the arranger for most of Vandross' albums, and he and Vandross co-wrote many of Vandross' songs, including the hits "I Really Didn't Mean It", "Any Love", "Power of Love/Love Power" and "Don't Want to Be a Fool". He also co-wrote the 1988 single "Da Butt" for Experience Unlimited.
This article is about the musician. For the football goalkeeper, see Markus Miller. For 19th-century General officer, see Marcus P. Miller.
Marcus Miller
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr.
June 14, 1959
New York City, U.S.
Jazz, jazz fusion, R&B, rock, funk, smooth jazz
Musician, songwriter, record producer
Bass, guitar, vocals, saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, recorder
1975–present
Early life[edit]
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on June 14, 1959.[4] He grew up in a musical family; his father, William Miller, was a church organist and choir director. Through his father, he is the cousin of jazz pianist Wynton Kelly.[5] He became classically trained as a clarinetist and later learned to play keyboards, saxophone, and guitar.
Instruments[edit]
Miller plays a transparent blonde finish 1977 Fender Jazz Bass that was modified by luthier Roger Sadowsky with the addition of a Stars Guitar and later a Bartolini preamp[24] so he could control his sound in the studio.[25] Fender started to produce a Marcus Miller signature Fender Jazz Bass in four-string (made in Japan) and five-string (made in U.S) versions.[26] Later, Fender moved the production of the four-string to their Mexico factory[27] and discontinued both four- and five-string models in 2015. DR Strings also produced a series of Marcus Miller signature stainless steel strings known as "Fat Beams", which come in a variety of sizes.[28] In 2015, Dunlop began producing Marcus Miller Super Bright bass strings which Miller switched to.[29]
Media appearances[edit]
In 2017, Miller appeared on the Armenian talk show Nice Evening.