Jimmy Miller
Jimmy Miller (March 23, 1942 – October 22, 1994) was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is known primarily for his work with several key musical acts of the 1960s and 1970s. Miller rose to prominence working with the various bands of vocalist Steve Winwood (including Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith).
Also recorded as James 'Jimmy' Miller · James David Miller
Jimmy Miller
- Name
- Jimmy Miller
- Born
- 23 March 1942
- Birthplace
- New York City, U.S.
- Died
- 22 October 1994
- Place of death
- Denver, Colorado, U.S.
- Spouse
- * Gayle Shepherd (divorced)
- Occupation
- * Record producer
- Full name
- James David Miller.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q59477 · wikipedia · Jimmy Miller
In this article
Biography
Biography
His best acclaimed work was his late 1960s-early 1970s work with the Rolling Stones for whom he produced a string of singles and albums that rank among the most critically and financially successful works of the band's career: Beggars Banquet (1968), Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972) and Goats Head Soup (1973). In the late 1970s, he began working with Motörhead and continued to produce until his death in 1994. In 2026, Miller was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jimmy Miller • Born — 23 March 1942 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Died — 22 October 1994 • Place of death — Denver, Colorado, U.S. • Spouse — * Gayle Shepherd (divorced) • Children — 2 • Occupation — * Record producer • musician • Father — Bill Miller • Family — Judith Miller (half-sister)
Early life
Early life
Miller was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Anne Wingate and Bill Miller. Bill was a Las Vegas entertainment director who had booked Elvis Presley into the International Hotel for his 1969 return to live performance. Miller's interest in music started at age eight, playing drums and singing. Miller's half-sister was Judith Miller, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times who was imprisoned for not revealing her sources in the Plame–Wilson CIA affair.
Career
Career
Miller first trained and worked as the protege of Stanley Borden (RKO, Artia, After Hours Unique). Borden, the original backer of Island Records, suggested Miller to Chris Blackwell, who brought him to the United Kingdom. Miller's first job in the UK was to remix a single from the Spencer Davis Group which had done well in the UK charts, "Gimme Some Lovin'". Blackwell recalled that Miller introduced "a kind of wild magic" and "turns up the heat, threatens some kind of chaos", which resulted in "a new sound." Miller's remix entered the US top ten and broke the band in the country. He then co-wrote its follow-up "I'm A Man" with the band's singer-keyboardist, Steve Winwood. After Winwood left the band in 1967, Miller continued to work with Winwood by producing Winwood's band Traffic as well as the sole album by the Eric Clapton–Winwood supergroup Blind Faith. During this period, Miller also produced the UK Number 1 single for The Move, "Blackberry Way", the first two albums by Spooky Tooth and co-produced (with Delaney Bramlett) the hit Delaney & Bonnie album from 1969, On Tour with Eric Clapton. In addition to producing five of their albums, Miller notably added instrumentation to several songs by the Rolling Stones. His contributions include the opening cowbell on "Honky Tonk Women" and drumming on "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Tumbling Dice," "Happy," and "Shine a Light." In the late 70s, Miller collaborated with Motörhead and produced two of their albums, Overkill and Bomber. In 1983, Miller produced Johnny Thunders's In Cold Blood. In 1991, Miller helped produce Primal Scream's breakthrough album Screamadelica. Miller also produced three tracks for the Wedding Present's 1992 compilation Hit Parade 2.
Personal life
Personal life
Miller's marriage to Gayle Shepherd, a member of the singing group the Shepherd Sisters, produced a daughter, singer Deena. With his second wife Geraldine, he had a son, Michael, who died at the age of 32. Through Geraldine, Jimmy Miller had a stepson, Steven Miller, a news photographer who spent 25 years working for The New York Times. Geraldine died of breast cancer in 1991. Miller was a user of hard drugs. He died of liver failure in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 52.
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the headings James 'Jimmy' Miller and James David Miller. His recorded language was English. He was the child of Bill Miller. He married Kerri-Anne Kennerley.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1942
Jimmy Miller born at Brooklyn.
1994
Jimmy Miller died at Denver.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Brooklyn.
Birth place
Denver.
Death place
Discography
• Year — Artist — Album details • 1967 — Traffic — Mr. Fantasy • 1968 — Spooky Tooth — It's All About • 1968 — Traffic — Traffic • 1968 — The Rolling Stones — Beggars Banquet • 1969 — Spooky Tooth — Spooky Two • 1969 — Traffic — Last Exit • 1969 — The Rolling Stones — Let It Bleed • 1969 — Blind Faith — Blind Faith • 1970 — Delaney & Bonnie & Friends — On Tour with Eric Clapton • 1970 — Ginger Baker's Air Force — Ginger Baker's Air Force • 1970 — Sky — Don't Hold Back • 1970 — Sky — Sailor's Delight • 1971 — The Rolling Stones — Sticky Fingers • 1972 — The Rolling Stones — Exile on Main St. • 1972 — Kracker — La Familia • 1972 — Bobby Whitlock — Raw Velvet • 1973 — The Rolling Stones — Goats Head Soup • 1973 — Kracker — Kracker Brand • 1974 — Locomotiv GT — Locomotiv GT • 1979 — Trapeze — Hold On • 1979 — Motörhead — Overkill • 1979 — Motörhead — Bomber • 1980 — Plasmatics — New Hope for the Wretched • 1983 — Johnny Thunders — In Cold Blood • 1991 — Primal Scream — Screamadelica
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q59477: Jimmy Miller
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Jimmy Miller”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Jimmy Miller, revision 1363713350 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Sunday Morning Playlist: Top Twenty Record Producers of the Rock Era - Page 5 - Blogcritics Music. blogcritics.org.
- 2.Discogs.com. Jimmy Miller Discography at Discogs.
- 3.Greene, Andy. Oasis, Wu-Tang Clan, Phli Collins, Iron Maiden, New Order Lead Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2026 Class. Rolling Stone. April 14, 2026.
- 4.Jimmy Miller, 52, Recording Producer. The New York Times. Associated Press. October 24, 1994.
- 5.Miller, Judith. Mr Jimmy. Tablet. 23 October 2019.
- 6.Miller, Judith. Mr. Jimmy. Tablet. October 23, 2019.
- 7.Blackwell, Chris. The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond. Hodder. 2022.
- 8.Credits. AllMusic.
- 9.A Tribute to My Brother, Music Producer Jimmy Miller, on the 25th Anniversary of His Death. Tablet Magazine. October 23, 2019.
- 10.Merlis, Jim. Rolling Stones Producer Jimmy Miller: 15 Things You Didn't Know. May 24, 2018.
- 11.Heemsoth, Erik. Sky: A look back at Doug Fieger before The Knack. February 6, 2014.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q59477: Jimmy MillerWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Jimmy Miller is recorded as record producer, lyricist, songwriter, pianist and musician. Recorded at birth as James David Miller.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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