Jacob Miller (musician)
Jacob Mathias Miller (born May 4, 1952 in Mandeville , † March 23, 1980 in Kingston ) was a Jamaican reggae singer and Rastafarian fanatic.
Life
Jacob Miller was born the only child to parents, Joan Ashman and Desmond Elliot. His father, whom he never met, was active as a singer in England under the synonym Sidney Elliott . He is also a cousin of the singer Maxi Priest .
The father left the family early and at the age of eight Jacob Miller was sent to Kingston to live with his grandparents. While attending Kingston's Melrose High School , he spent his free time in the music studios, where his friend Augustus Pablo introduced him to Joe Gibbs and King Tubby as well as the successful producer "Sir" Coxsone Dodd , for whom he was born in 1968 at the age of 13 Years ago recorded his first song called Love Is A Message .
After only mediocre success, Jacob Miller did not resume studio recordings until 1974, which were produced by Augustus Pablo. Songs like Each One Teach One , Keep On Knocking , False Rasta , Who Say Jah No Dread and Baby I Love You So date from this period .
Miller later became the lead vocalist of Inner Circle , whose line-up had changed constantly until he was recorded. On the band's first album from 1974, Rock the Boat , Miller is named alongside Phillip Thompson as a singer.
As part of his solo career alongside Inner Circle, Miller's greatest successes began in 1975, Tenement Yard , in which he sang about the daily life of a Rastafarian in the Kingston ghettos, and Tired Fe Lick Weed In A Bush , which opposes the illegality of consuming marijuana in Jamaica.
In the 1978 reggae cult film Rockers , Jacob Miller appeared in a supporting role as "Jakes" (at 1h 11min, while eating) and sang live with Inner Circle Tenement Yard (0h 41min) as part of the action in a restaurant .
At the One Love Peace Concert in 1978 Jacob Miller and Inner Circle appeared on stage alongside Bob Marley and Peter Tosh . Then Inner Circle signed a contract with Chris Blackwell , whereupon the album Everything is Great was released on Island Records in 1979 , which helped the band to international breakthrough. Blackwell planned to use Inner Circle as support for Bob Marley's 1980 American tour.
On March 23, 1980, Jacob Miller had a fatal car accident when he hit a lamp post on Hope Road, Kingston. He died at the age of 27 and is counted in Club 27 .
His already recorded album Mixed Up Moods , due to be released at the end of the year, became a rarity. Inner Circle's New Age album, which has also already been produced, contains a dedication to "Jacob Mathias Miller" and was released that same year.
Discography
Jacob Miller's greatest hits were u. a .:
- Shaky girl
- Truth Has Come Again
- Money
- Dock Of The Bay
- Forward Jah Jah Children
- Roman Soldiers Of Babylon
- None Shall Escape The Judgment
- Curly Locks (for Angela)
- Here I am baby
- West Bound Train
- Forward Ever
- I Shall Be Released
- Big Stripe
- City Of The Weak Heart
- Tenement yard
- Suzy Wong
- Sinners
- Healing of the Nation
- I've Got the Handle (Original by The Heptones )
- Tired Fe Lick Weed In A Bush
Studio albums
- 1976: Tenement Yard (aka Dread Dread 1978)
- 1978: Jacob "Killer" Miller
- 1978: Natty Christmas
- 1979: Jacob Miller Meets Fatman Riddim Section
- 1979: Wanted
- 1980: I'm Just A Dread
- 1980: Mixed Up Moods
- 1992: Jacob Miller & Inner Circle & Augustus Pablo
Compilations
- 1992: Who Say Jah No Dread
- 1990: Killer Rides Again
Web links
- Works by Jacob Miller in the catalog of the German National Library
- Biography ( Memento from July 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Miller, Jacob |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Miller, Jacob Mathias (full name); Miller, Killer (nickname) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Jamaican reggae singer and Rastafarian devotee |
DATE OF BIRTH | May 4th 1952 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Mandeville , Jamaica |
DATE OF DEATH | March 23, 1980 |
Place of death | Kingston , Jamaica |