Jimmy Miller

James 'Jimmy' Miller (23 March1942 - 22 October 1994) [ [http://users.efortress.com/doc-rock/1995.html The Dead Rock Stars Club 1994 - 1995 ] ] was a Brooklyn born record producer, who produced albums for The Spencer Davis Group (and co-wrote the song "I'm A Man" with Steve Winwood, as well as the lyrics for the Traffic song, "Medicated Goo"), Traffic, Blind Faith, Bobby Whitlock, Kracker and The Rolling Stones (all albums from "Beggars Banquet" to "Goats Head Soup"), New York City's shock/punk rockers The Plasmatics and Motörhead.

Rolling Stones' albums "Beggars Banquet", "Let it Bleed", "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile on Main Street" were produced by Miller and are widely regarded as their most important releases. Among his signature techniques that characterise many of the songs on those albums was a certain equilibrium in the mix, which essentially buried the vocals among the guitars and horns.Fact|date=January 2008

A percussionist, Miller was known for a distinctive drum sound, especially with the Rolling Stones and he occasionally played percussion on their recordings, including the famous opening cowbell on "Honky Tonk Women," the drums on "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Happy" and "Shine a Light." The Stones stopped working with Miller after 1973's "Goats Head Soup".

Additionally, Steve Winwood gives Miller credit for playing the percussive piano parts in a few of Traffic's live shows, particularly those in the compilation album, "The Last Traffic Jam".

Miller's father, Bill Miller, was a Las Vegas entertainment director and the man who booked Elvis Presley into the International Hotel for his 1969 return to live performance.

Miller had a daughter, rock singer Deena Miller, with Gayle Shepherd, a member of the singing group the Shepherd Sisters, a son Michael with second wife Geri, who died at age 33 and a step son Steven who is a news photographer living in Connecticut. His second wife Geri died of breast cancer three years before his death of liver failure in October 1994, at the age of 52.

Among his last productions were three tracks on the 1992 Wedding Present project, "Hit Parade 2". He also worked with Primal Scream and William Topley's band The Blessing (with whom he appears on their DVD Sugar Train in the song Soul Love).

Judith Miller, who spent time in jail for not revealing her sources in the infamous Plame-Wilson CIA affair, is Miller's half-sister. She is also a Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist for the New York Times.

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