*** "The Phanter" Marcus Miller - Guitaristpage.com

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Marcus Miller (born William Henry Marcus Miller Jr., June 14, 1959, Brooklyn, New York) is an American jazz musician, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career. Miller is classically trained as a clarinetist and also plays keyboards, saxophone and guitar.

Miller was born in 1959 and raised in a musical family that includes his father, William Miller (a church organist and choir director) and jazz pianist Wynton Kelly. By 13, Marcus was proficient on clarinet, piano and bass guitar, and already writing songs. Two years later he was working regularly in New York City, eventually playing bass and writing music for jazz flautist Bobbi Humphrey and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith. Miller soon became a first call session musician, gracing well over 500 albums, a short list of which includes Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock, Mariah Carey, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Frank Sinatra, Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Grover Washington Jr., Donald Fagen, Bill Withers, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J and Me'shell NdegéOcello and Flavio Sala.

He plays a 1977 Fender Jazz Bass that was modified by Roger Sadowsky with the addition of a Bartolini preamp so he could control his sound in the studio. Fender currently produces a Marcus Miller signature Fender Jazz Bass in four (made in Japan)- and five-string (made in U.S) versions.[2] He uses EBS amplifiers as well as some effects pedals.

Miller spent approximately 15 years performing as a sideman or session musician and observing how great band leaders operated. During that time he also did a lot of arranging and producing. He was a member of the Saturday Night Live band from 1978 through 1979. Miller's contribution to signature tunes is legendary, such as the intro on Aretha Franklin's 'I Wanna Make It Up To You,' just to name one. He has played on over 500 recordings defining the basslines of the music of such greats as Luther Vandross, Grover Washington Jr., Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, McCoy Tyner, Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol. He won the "Most Valuable Player" award, (awarded by NARAS to recognize studio musicians) three years in a row and was subsequently awarded "player emeritus" status and retired from eligibility.

Miller has a wife named Brenda. He has four children- two daughters, Corinne and Nicole, and two sons named Julian and Jon. Julian is following his father's footsteps as a member of up-and-coming hip hop group Propaganda Machine, Jon recently graduated Columbia University and now works for radio and television host Glenn Beck, and Nicole attends Elon University in North Carolina. Corinne remains in high-school.

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