Virtually anyone over the age of 15 has likely heard at least one Steve Miller song in their lifetime. Perhaps it is “Fly Like an Eagle,” “The Joker” or “Take the Money and Run.” Drive around long enough listening to satellite radio and scroll past a classic rock station and you will surely hear the Steve Miller Band. Although their career started out respectably, the band did not become a well-known band in the US until the eighth album in 1973 – The Joker. From there, the Steve Miller Band had a great commercial run of albums and hit singles that will forever be on radio and playlists around the world. The list below contains 14 interesting facts you might not know about Steve Miller and his band.
Steve’s father was an amateur recording engineer and hosted many legends – including Les Paul and T-Bone Walker – in the Miller home while Steve was young.
T-Bone Walker taught young Steve Miller to play guitar behind his back and with his teeth.
Steve Miller started his first band – The Marksmen – while still in school. The band included Boz Scaggs.
Miller attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he eventually dropped out six credit hours away from a degree in Literature.
The original name of the Steve Miller Band was The Steve Miller Blues Band.
The band first appeared on record as Chuck Berry’s backing band on Berry’s 1967 album Live at Fillmore Auditorium.
Miller’s third studio album – 1969’s Brave New World – featured Paul McCartney (credited as Paul Ramon) on backing vocals, bass, drums and guitar on the track “My Dark Hour.” McCartney also provided backing vocals on the track “Celebration Song.”
Old friend Boz Scaggs contributed guitar and backing vocals to 2 songs on each of the first two Steve Miller Band albums – Children of the Future and Sailor – before starting his own successful solo career.
Bassist and founding member of Journey – Ross Valory – played bass on Steve Miller Band’s sixth album Rock Love.
Although the Steve Miller Band were well received in blues rock circles, they did not have their first hit album or record until 1973’s The Joker – the band’s eighth record. The Joker peaked at #2 on the Billboard album charts and was certified Platinum.
The follow up album – Fly Like an Eagle – would be Steve Miller Band’s biggest commercial success – selling more than 4,000,000 copies in the US.
In all, Steve Miller Band recorded four Platinum albums and one Gold album. In addition, the greatest hits album – Greatest Hits 1974-1978 – has sold more than 15 million copies in the US. In total, the band has sold more than 24 million albums in the US alone.
“The Joker” was Steve Miller Band’s first Top 40 hit in 1973 – reaching #1 on the Billboard charts.
The band had nine Top 40 hits – including 5 in the Top 10 and three reaching #1 (“The Joker,” Rock’n Me,” and “Abracadabra.”
