Marcus Miller.
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, & record producer. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandross, & saxophonists Wayne Shorter & David Sanborn, among others. He was the main songwriter & producer on three of Davis’ albums. Tutu (1986), Music from Siesta 1987, & Amandla 1989. His collaboration with Vandross was especially close, He co-produced & served as the arranger for most of Vandross’ albums, & he & Vandross co-wrote many of Vandross’ songs, including the hits I Really Didn’t Mean It, Any Love, “Power of Love/Love Power” & Don’t Want to Be a Fool. He also co-wrote the 1988 single Da Butt for Experience Unlimited.
Early life: born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, He grew up in a musical family, his father, William Miller, was a church organist & choir director. Through his father, he is the cousin of jazz pianist Wynton Kelly. He became classically trained as a clarinetist & later learned to play keyboards, saxophone, & guitar.
Career: in 2007
Miller began to work regularly in New York City, eventually playing bass & writing music for jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey & keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith. Miller became a session musician. Miller’s earliest influences include James Jamerson & Larry Graham. He spent approximately 15 years performing as a session musician. During that time he also arranged & produced frequently. He was a member of the Saturday Night Live band between 1979 & 1981. He co-wrote Aretha Franklin’s “Jump To It” along with Luther Vandross.
He has played bass on over 500 recordings, appearing on albums by such artists as Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Herbie Hancock, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, The Crusaders, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Frank Sinatra, George Benson, Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Joe Walsh, Jean-Michel Jarre, Grover Washington Jr. Donald Fagen, Bill Withers, Bernard Wright, Kazumi Watanabe, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J & Flavio Sala. He won the “Most Valuable Player” award (given by NARAS to recognize studio musicians) three years in a row & was subsequently awarded “player emeritus” status & retired from eligibility.
In the mid 1980s, Miller began a solo career as a funk/R&B singer, with the albums Suddenly (1983) & Marcus Miller (1984). He was the main songwriter, producer & instrumentalist on these albums. He has since then released ten more solo albums, although he has only occasionally sung on these subsequent albums.
