Charles William Miller (June 2, 1939 – June 4, 1980) was an American musician best known as the

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

and

flutist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

for multicultural California funk band

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

. Notably, Miller provided lead vocals as well as sax on the band's ''Billboard'' R&B #1 hit "

Low Rider "Low Rider" is a song written by American funk band War and producer Jerry Goldstein, which appeared on their album '' Why Can't We Be Friends?'', released in 1975. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart, peaked at number ...

" (1975).

Biography

Miller was born in

Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 population of 141,290. History 19th century Olathe wa ...

, moved with his family to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

two years later, and settled in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. His father was a musician who featured with organist Paul Bryant. Charles was always interested in music, which included his playing of

woodwinds Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

, piano, and guitar, as well as with school bands and school orchestras. In 1967, Charles' interest in music was secondary to football until, when at Long Beach City College, he sustained a football injury. Charles recorded with various groups such as Señor Soul on ''Señor Soul Plays Funky Favorites'' (1968), and ''It's Your Thing'' (1969), both on Double Shot Records. He participated in recording sessions with The Ray Charles Band, and toured with the Debonaires, Brenton Wood, Señor Soul and Afro Blues Quintet + 1. In the summer of 1969, Charles was in Hollywood at the first Studio Instrument Rentals (located on Santa Monica and Vine) when he heard Harold Brown practicing with

Howard E. Scott Howard E. Scott (born March 15, 1946) is an American funk/rock guitarist and founding member of the successful 1970s funk band War. Biography Scott grew up in Compton, California. He began playing bass at a very young age under the guidance of ...

and

Papa Dee Allen War (originally called Eric Burdon and War) is an American funk/rock music, rock/soul music, soul band from Long Beach, California, known for several hit songs (including "Spill the Wine", "The World Is a Ghetto (War song), The World Is a Ghett ...

. He joined and the Night Shift was created. Charles Miller was performing at the Rag Doll in North Hollywood with the Night Shift when

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, pow ...

and

Lee Oskar Lee Oskar (born 24 March 1948) is a Danish harmonica player, notable for his contributions to the sound of the rock-funk fusion group War, which was formed by Howard E. Scott and Harold Brown, his solo work, and as a harmonica manufacturer. H ...

came into the club. Lee Oskar went to the bandstand and that’s when their distinct sound came together, the blend of his saxophone and Lee Oskar's harmonica. Charles Miller’s deep voice is heard on the

song "

", and he is credited by many sources as the dominant and initial songwriter of "Low Rider". It was recorded at

Wally Heider Studios Wally Heider Studios was a recording studio founded in San Francisco in 1969 by recording engineer and studio owner Wally Heider. Between 1969 and 1980, numerous notable artists recorded at the studios, including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Je ...

in San Francisco in 1975 and has been sampled by many artists like Flo Rida (who used it for his song " G.D.F.R."), and is heard in movies such as '' Up in Smoke'', '' Beverly Hills Chihuahua'' and television shows, being the theme song for the sitcom ''

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rece ...

''.

Death

In 1980, Charles Miller was stabbed to death in Los Angeles during a botched street robbery. To this day, no one has been arrested or prosecuted for his murder. At the time of his death, he was living in Hollywood with his wife, Eddy Miller, daughters, Annette and Laurian, and his sons, Donald and Mark. He also had a son with another woman, Joseph Charles Newton.

References

Link to Legacy.com wrong Charles Miller https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/charles-miller-obituary?pid=001101757&affiliateid=494

External links

allmusic

themusicsover

war reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Charles 1939 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American musicians 20th-century saxophonists African-American saxophonists American funk saxophonists American male saxophonists American murder victims Male murder victims Murdered African-American people Musicians from California People from Olathe, Kansas People murdered in Los Angeles Unsolved murders in the United States War (American band) members 20th-century American male musicians 1980 murders in the United States Deaths by stabbing in California

Biography

Death

See also

References

External links