The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums. Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band's contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to the Steve Miller Band. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album, Children of the Future. It went on to produce the albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, Rock Love, Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams, among others. The band's Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies. In 2016, Steve Miller was inducted as a solo artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Sound 80 is a recording studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States founded by engineer Tom Jung and composer/musician Herb Pilhofer in 1969. Largely involved with local artists, the studio is best known for recording portions of Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks in 1974 and Cat Stevens' Izitso in 1977, as well as demo tapes for Prince's first album For You in 1977.
Ben Hirsh Sidran is an American jazz and rock keyboardist, producer, label owner, and music writer. Early in his career he was a member of the Steve Miller Band and is the father of Grammy-nominated musician, composer and performer Leo Sidran.
Leo Sidran is an American Latin Grammy-winning musician, composer, performer, and producer whose credits include co-producing the Oscar-winning song "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" for the soundtrack to the movie The Motorcycle Diaries.
Jesse Edwin Davis III was a Native American guitarist. He was well regarded as a session artist and solo performer, was a member of Taj Mahal's backing band and played with musicians such as Eric Clapton, John Lennon, and George Harrison. In 2018, he was posthumously inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame at the 18th Annual Native American Music Awards. Davis was an enrolled citizen of the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma with Comanche, Muscogee, and Seminole ancestry.
John Van Hamersveld is an American graphic artist and illustrator who designed record jackets for pop and psychedelic bands from the 1960s onward. Among the 300 albums are the covers of Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles, Crown of Creation by Jefferson Airplane, Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones, and Hotter Than Hell by Kiss. His first major assignment, in 1963, was designing the poster for the surf film The Endless Summer, after which he served as Capitol Records' head of design from 1965 to 1968. During that time, he worked on the artwork for albums by Capitol artists such as the Beatles and the Beach Boys. He also oversaw the design of the psychedelic posters for the Pinnacle Shrine exposition.
Cynthia Johnson is an American singer, songwriter and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the band Lipps Inc. with the worldwide smash hit "Funkytown".
Wide River is the fifteenth album by American rock band the Steve Miller Band, released in 1993. The title track was their last Billboard Hot 100 single, peaking at No. 64. It is their last album of original material to date, and would also be their last studio album until Bingo! in 2010. As of 2010, sales in the United States have exceeded 258,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was re-released on vinyl by Sailor Records in 2016. In addition, May 24, 2019 saw the re-release again of Wide River on exclusive translucent light blue vinyl, by UMe Label, and on black vinyl.
Born 2 B Blue is a studio album by Steve Miller, released in 1988 by Capitol Records. This is the only solo album that Miller has released, making it his only album not to be credited under the name Steve Miller Band. It consists primarily of jazz standards reinterpreted in a more modern context. It represented a departure from Miller's work with the Steve Miller Band. The album was Miller's final release for Capitol Records, after 20 years with the label.
Steve Wilson is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, who is best known in the musical community as a flutist and an alto and soprano saxophonist. He also plays the clarinet and the piccolo. Wilson performs on many different instruments and has performed and recorded on over twenty-five albums. His interests include folk, jazz, classical, world music, and experimental music. Wilson is currently on the faculty of New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. He was elected as an American Champion by the National Flute Association. Wilson has maintained a busy career working as a session musician, and has contributed to many musicians of note both in the recording studios, but as a sideman on tours. Over the years he has participated in engagements with several musical ensembles, as well as his own solo efforts.
Cool Paradise is a smooth jazz album by keyboardist and jazz vocalist Ben Sidran, released in 1990. It is Sidran's eighteenth album, and his first release with the Go Jazz label he started in 1989.
Dylan Different is a smooth jazz album by keyboardist and jazz vocalist Ben Sidran, released in 2009. It is Sidran's thirty-sixth album, and his fourth release with his independent label Nardis Records.
Nick's Bump is a smooth jazz album by American keyboardist and jazz vocalist Ben Sidran, released in 2004. It is Sidran's twenty sixth album, and his first release by his independent label Nardis Records.
Peter Schimke was an American piano player, songwriter, composer, session musician and producer. Growing up in a musical environment, Schimke started performing live in his early teens.
Irvin Williams was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Throughout his nine-decade career, Williams focused on the Great American Songbook and the tenor sax as a solo vehicle.
Bill Carrothers is a jazz pianist and composer based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He has cited Clifford Brown, Shirley Horn, and Oscar Peterson as influences on his development as a musician. Carrothers performs without shoes to better feel the piano pedals, and sits in a chair rather than on a traditional piano bench in order to achieve his preferred seating height.
On the Cool Side is a smooth jazz album by keyboardist and jazz vocalist Ben Sidran. Released in 1985, it was Sidran's fourteenth studio album.
Pinnacle is the first album that Irv Williams released not under his own name but as the Irv Williams Trio, on which Irv Williams on tenor saxophone is joined by long-time partner Billy Peterson on bass and Steve Blons on guitar. Its official release date is July 6, 2015.
Cory Wong is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer based in Minneapolis. He has released many works as a solo artist and in partnership with others. His background spans several genres including jazz, rock, and funk. He has performed with Vulfpeck, Dave Koz, Stay Human, The Fearless Flyers, Ben Rector, Dr. Mambo's Combo, Chris Thile, Dave Matthews Band, and Dirty Loops. He released several albums in 2020, including Live in Amsterdam, a collaboration with the Metropole Orkest, and Meditations, a new-age album with Jon Batiste. His recent works include two albums released in conjunction with his variety show.
Don't Cry For No Hipster is a jazz album by keyboardist and vocalist Ben Sidran. It was recorded in July 2012, and released in 2013 under Sidran's label Nardis Records in the United States, and Bonsaï Music in France.
