Rescued from the Depths of Obscurity, Part 11: The Steve Miller Band, 10 Songs from the Abyss

tic toc tic do doot do do

time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin'
into the future...

Here's a rock/blues success story you might not have heard before. A young man learns guitar from none other than the legendary pioneer of the electric guitar, Les Paul; jams with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy and Paul Butterfield; teaches Boz Scaggs how to play the guitar and then goes on to perform with Chuck Berry. All of this prior to his 24th birthday.

Steve Miller left the the Chicago blues scene in the mid-1960's and headed for San Francisco. The year his band landed a record deal with Capitol Records, 1967, saw the influences of Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service. But Steve MIller would not forget his roots. He blended the West Coast sound into his own style of blues-rock and debuted at the Summer of Love's Monterey Pop Festival. Instantly a cult following ensued, though it would be 10 years and 10 albums later before Stevie "Guitar" Miller would receive world acclaim.

No other group in rock history fashioned psychedelic blues-rock quite like The Steve Miller Band. While enjoying moderate success prior to it's release, the self produced 1976 album, "Fly Like An Eagle" went 4X Platinum and soared to unbelievable heights for the band. It is ranked in Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The band has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

With hits like, Livin' in the U.S.A., The Joker,Take the Money and Run, and Fly Like An Eagle, the SMB still commands airplay on rock radio today. But is it possible that there are 10 songs of the Steve Miller Band that you might not have heard before?

Here is a list of 10 songs that the new millennium listener might not have heard before, but should be on every fan of the Steve Miller Band iTunes.

All recordings are as released in the U.S.

1. Baby's Callin' Me Home
2. Key to the Highway
from the album, Children of the Future, 1967, Capitol Records

3. My Friend
4. Quicksilver Girl
from the album, Sailor, 1968, Capitol Records

5. Space Cowboy
6. Brave New World
from the album, Brave New World, 1969, Capitol Records

7. Little Girl
8. Motherless Children
from the album, Your Saving Grace, 1969, Capitol Records

9. Going to Mexico
10. Going to the Country
from the album, Number 5, 1970, Capitol Records

One song that should be on this list and is a favorite here at Rescued From the Depths of Obscurity is Mercury Blues. This song was a hit for Alan Jackson back in 1993 but in keeping with our 40 year time limit, had to be omitted.

The Steve Miller Band still tours. You can catch their concert listings at: www.stevemillerband.com

So there you have it, 10 songs from the abyss. How does this list compare to your own? Have a song that should be included? Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you.

Meanwhile, tune in next time for Rescued From the Depths of Obscurity, Part 12 when we resuscitate another great rockin' blues group straight from Woodstock... 10 Years After.

Peace.