Jacob Miller (musician)
| Jacob Miller | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born |
4 May 1952 Mandeville, Jamaica |
| Died | 23 March 1980 (aged 27) Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1968-1980 |
| Associated acts | Inner Circle |
Jacob Miller (4 May 1952 – 23 March 1980) was a Jamaican reggae artist and a Rasta. His first recording session was with the famous Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd in the late 1960's. While pursuing a prolific solo career, he became the lead singer for reggae group Inner Circle. Miller recorded and toured with Inner Circle until he and his son died in a tragic car accident in 1980. Miller was only 27 years old.
Jacob Miller was born in Mandeville, Jamaica to Joan Ashman and Desmond Elliot. At the age of eight he moved to Kingston, Jamaica where he was raised by his maternal grandparents. His move to Kingston would prove to be a seminal event in his life, as Miller began spending much of his time at recording studios around the city, most notably Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd's now-famous Studio One.
He recorded three songs for Dodd, including "Love is a Message" in 1968, which the Swaby brothers, Horace and Garth (Horace would later be known as Augustus Pablo) played at their "Rockers Sound System". The song did not garner much success, nor did it get much attention from Coxsone, however it resulted in Horace Swaby befriending Miller and sparked his interest in him as a musician.
After the Swaby brothers launched their own label in 1972, Horace (from then on known as Augustus Pablo) recorded a version of "Love is a Message" named "Keep on Knocking" in 1974. In the next year and a half Miller recorded five more songs for Pablo, "Baby I Love You So," "False Rasta," "Who Say Jah No Dread," "Each One Teach One," and "Girl Named Pat", each of which became a Rockers classic with King Tubby dubs on their b-sides. These singles developed Miller’s reputation as a great singer, and their success ultimately drew Inner Circle to hire him as a replacement lead singer.
Inner Circle was an emerging reggae group made popular playing covers of American Top 40 hits. Band leader Roger Lewis said Jacob Miller was "always happy and jovial. He always made jokes. Everyone liked jokes." Adding Miller as lead singer, the band’s lineup was Roger Lewis on guitar, Ian Lewis on bass, Bernard "Touter" Harvey on keyboards, and Rasheed McKenzie on drums. Coining Miller as Jacob "Killer" Miller, the group continued to build popularity. They signed with Capitol Records in 1976 and released two albums, Reggae Thing and Ready for the World. Their first hit with Jacob Miller was "Tenement Yard", followed by "Tired Fi Lick Weed In a Bush".
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