Marcus Miller was born in 1959 in Brooklyn, part of a musical family that included his choir-director father William Miller and notable Jazz pianist Wynton Kelly. Marcus was trained on clarinet, but also plays keyboards, saxaphone and guitar. You've most likely heard his bass guitar. Most people first heard Marcus Miller playing bass on Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers' "Just The Two of Us" from Washington, Jr.'s 1980 Winelight LP. Miller and Drummer Steve Gadd laid down the rhythm to what became an international hit single. In the years since, Miller has played in Miles Davis' late period band, and has played, written and produced for a list of greats that includes Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Bob James, and Wayne Shorter. He was a member of the Saturday Night Live Band in the 1980s. Since the 1990s he has written and produced over 25 major film scores. His most recent record is 2018's Laid Black, on Blue Note. You can hear cuts from the record on Atlanta's Jazz Station 91.9 WCLK.
You can catch Marcus Miller live this month on the Blue Note At Sea Jazz Cruise January 26-February 2. See more about the cruise(and a special WCLK rate) here.