Jimmy Miller Born February 23, 1942

Biography

You can’t consider The Rolling Stones without recognising the role of Jimmy Miller during a defining era for the band.

He came, he produced, and then he went, 'worn out', according to Keith; but, like Mick Taylor, with whose tenure in the band he largely overlapped, Jimmy Miller was there when it mattered. Whether you like it or not, the albums The Stones made when Miller was flying the desk were the ones that took the band from Fab(ish) to Great.

Jimmy Miller arrived at the right time to get The Rolling Stones out of the musical cul-de-sac that was psychedelic pop, and, in particular, he facilitated a triumphant return to form for the band after the ‘failure’ of Their Satanic Majesties Request…

The importance of this 'recovery' or 'escape' - from the inconsequential, modish, drug-addled noodling of mainstream pop musical fashion circa 1967 to the ballsy, menacing but none the less inventive blues/rock masterpiece that is Beggars Banquet - can't be underestimated.

And while Miller can't be given all, or even the majority of the credit for this wonderful record - the songwriting and playing of Jagger, Richards and a few other fairly talented musicians also played a massive part - there's no doubt that, at a crucial moment, he brought in new ideas and a much clearer idea of what a great rock band should sound like .

Jimmy Miller's background and and grounding in music as a percussionist was absolutely essential to his own musical ideas, and to the respect that The Stones had for him as a producer. He knew a groove from a gravy train, and that's what his studio work was all about. He didn't just talk about what he wanted the band to try - he could sit down at the kit and bang out the way he thought the tune should go. This ability will always be easier to understand, and more widely respected, than simply offering advice and direction from the desk.

Having helped the Stones out of the haze and back into the limelight of bang up rock 'n' roll, Jimmy's position with the band was secure for a while. He took advantage of this to preside over Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main St. There's a lifetime of great music in the Rolling Stones back catalogue, and everyone has their own favourites albums, but there's no doubting that these records are considered among the best the band ever made - numbers 32, 63 and 7 respectively in Rolling Stone Magazine's 'Top 500 Albums Ever Made' listing. (Beggars Banquet is number 57.)

Goats Head Soup, the 'coming down' album, proved to be one too many for Jimmy Miller, who'd soared to the heights with The Stones, and he and the band went their separate ways in 1973 - The Rolling Stones to make keep playing their music, making records and touring the world; Jimmy to some lesser triumphs (how do you top those 5 years?!) and then, to a premature death in 1994.