Jerry Miller: I'm a Blues Guy

Jerry Miller is a guitarist and vocalist who was a member of the 1960s San Francisco band Moby Grape. Before joining the group, Miller and bandmate Don Stevenson were members of The Frantics, a Pacific Northwest bar band. He is 68 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. He currently fronts The Jerry Miller Band, which plays primarily in Tacoma and Ruston, Washington. Is an internationally acclaimed guitar legend living in the city where he was born, Tacoma, Washington. A veteran blues man, Jerry has been thrilling audiences for over 40 years. He began in the late ‘50s, playing and recording with popular Northwest dance-rock bands including the Elegants. But it was amid the music explosion of the 1960s that his career took off. He contributed stellar guitar work to the hit record I Fought the Law and the Law Won and toured the South with the Bobby Fuller Four. After Fuller's untimely death, Jerry returned to the West. In the epicenter of the cultural revolution, San Francisco, Moby Grape was formed. Jerry provided the fire behind the three-guitar powerhouse band. Fame came fast and hard. The Grape signed with Columbia, recorded a half dozen albums, toured the U.S. and Europe, then slowly fell apart. Over the years, Jerry has shared the stage with many musical greats – Hendrix, Clapton, BB King, and The Doors– and they opened for him. A world class player, he delivers some of the most complex riffs imaginable. He is a “musician’s musician”, considered a master of the art form by both his peers and music enthusiasts alike. His avid fans include Jimmy Page, Steven Stills, Taj Mahal, David Fricke, Eric Clapton, and Robert Plant. Eric Clapton called Jerry the "best guitar player in the world" when he first came to the U.S. Just listen to The Way I Love You and it will be clear why Robert Plant cites Jerry as a major influence for Led Zeppelin – the band played Moby Grape songs at its first rehearsal. Led Zepplin and the Grateful Dead are just two of the famous bands that have covered Jerry Miller songs live and on record.

Interview Questions by Michael Limnios

Filmed by Beth Sanderson and Dave Sanderson

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