Tuned In, Turned Up

It is well known that in the music industry, it’s all about who you know. Quite often, musicians attribute their successes to a maniacal work ethic, their teachers, and well connected contacts. Lucky for Steve Miller, he had a teacher that could get him in contact with almost anyone in the business. That man was Les Paul! Steve’s father was a successful doctor who was good friends with Les Paul. In fact, Mr. Miller was Les’ best man when he married Mary Ford. Steve had started playing guitar around age 5 and Les came over to visit quite a bit. Before he knew it, Les had not only become his instructor, but also a great source of inspiration and support. Steve went on to form a few blues bands before he finally got the right line up and formed The Steve Miller Blues Band. They eventually dropped the “Blues” from the name and became a notable classic rock group. Instead of a Gibson Les Paul, Steve played a Fender Stratocaster most of the time. He may not have used the equipment that his instructor designed, but used something of his that may have been better – his technique.