Steve Miller (born 5 October 1943) is a blues and rock and roll guitarist and performer. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but attended high school in Dallas. While at St. Mark's School of Texas, he formed his first band, The Marksmen. Miller taught one of his classmates, Royce Boz Scaggs, a few guitar chords so that he could join the band; Scaggs became better known by his nickname, Boz. Miller attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 1960s, where he formed The Ardells. Scaggs joined the Ardells the next year. Ben Sidran was added to the Ardells as a keyboardist the following year.
In 1968, Miller formed the Steve Miller Band, with Scaggs handling vocals, and released an album, Children of the Future, the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that dominated the San Francisco music scene at the time. Scaggs would leave the band after a couple of albums with vocal chores taken over by drummer Tim Davis; Miller himself would begin singing occasional lead on 1969's Brave New World. These albums performed respectably on the album charts but failed to yield a hit.
In the 1970's the band had some hits that became classics over the years - Jet Airliner, with some evocative lyrics that brought home the loss of life on the road; and The Joker which includes the famous line about the "pompatus of love", which is of course nonsense, but that didn't stop a lot of stoned folks from spending years talking amongst themselves.
Steve Miller's father was a wealthy doctor in Dallas, and friends with famous guitarist and guitar designer Les Paul. Les Paul gave Miller his first guitar lessons.
Longtime member Norton Buffalo (harmonica player) died from lung cancer on October 30, 2009.
John King (drummer during "The Joker" era) died after a short bout of kidney cancer on October 26, 2010.
Band-member James Cooke died from cancer on 16 May 2011.
Jackson-Kent Blues
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
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Headed for Ohio when I read the news
'Bout the people demonstrating 'gainst the President's views
Four were shot down by the National Guard troops
Just like Uncle Sam I put on my fighting shoes
School shot down cause there's no more to lose
Now we're headed to D.C. two by twos
Cause those low down, profound, killin' four blues
Lookin' for my Congressman to make it well known
But the politicians already won't answer his telephone
Making in his office while they're shooting kids down at home
Worried about the voters but he won't be worried long
Silent majority still glued to the tube
Say CIA ain't lookin', FBI come unglued
Shot some more in Jackson just to show the world what they can do
While we're marching to D.C. cause there's too much to do
Give peace a chance
Give peace a chance
There's no turnin' back my friend
There's no turnin' back
When the President said that the tear gas is gone
The army's pulled out leavin' blood on the ground
The streets are empty and the crying's died down
You can be President if no one's around
Just like Kow Kow, you've heard it before
Get back gangster, don't you open that door
Space Cowboy's back to tell you the score
Nothing any good is gonna come from a war
Got those low down, profound, killin' four blues
Give peace a chance
Give peace a chance
Give peace a chance
The lyrics of Steve Miller's "Jackson-Kent Blues" describe the singer's response to the Kent State shootings that occurred on May 4, 1970. Miller was in Nashville at the time and headed for Ohio when he heard the news of four students being killed by National Guard troops during a demonstration against President Nixon's decision to invade Cambodia. The lyrics reflect Miller's shock and anger at the event and the government's response to it.
Miller's lyrics express his frustration with the lack of accountability from politicians who won't even answer their phones while children are being shot down at home. He also seems to criticize the "silent majority" who are still glued to their televisions instead of taking action. The singer juxtaposes themes of violence and peace, urging listeners to give peace a chance and avoid war at all costs.
The song also makes reference to other figures from the 1960s counterculture, including the activist Abbie Hoffman (who went by the nickname "Kow Kow") and the "Space Cowboy," a term popularized by Miller's earlier hit song "The Joker."
Overall, "Jackson-Kent Blues" is a powerful protest song that captures the mood of the era and the frustrations of those who felt powerless in the face of government violence.
Line by Line Meaning
I was down in Nashville just payin' my dues
I was in Nashville trying to make it in the music industry.
Headed for Ohio when I read the news
I was on my way to Ohio when I saw the news headlines.
'Bout the people demonstrating 'gainst the President's views
The news was about people protesting against the President's views.
Four were shot down by the National Guard troops
During the protests, four people were killed by National Guard troops.
Just like Uncle Sam I put on my fighting shoes
Like Uncle Sam represents the US, I too am ready to take action.
School shot down cause there's no more to lose
The school was closed down as there was nothing to do to prevent violence.
Now we're headed to D.C. two by twos
Now we're heading towards Washington D.C. to demand justice two by two.
Cause those low down, profound, killin' four blues
We're doing this because we have intense emotions about those who died for no reason.
Lookin' for my Congressman to make it well known
I'm looking for my Congressman to help raise awareness about these issues.
But the politicians already won't answer his telephone
The politicians are not available to listen to our concerns.
Making in his office while they're shooting kids down at home
While the politicians are sitting in their offices, kids are being killed in their homes.
Worried about the voters but he won't be worried long
The politicians are thinking only of public opinion and will not be worried for long.
Silent majority still glued to the tube
The majority of the silent people are still watching TV and not protesting.
Say CIA ain't lookin', FBI come unglued
The CIA is not paying attention, and the FBI is struggling to deal with the situation.
Shot some more in Jackson just to show the world what they can do
The authorities in Jackson killed more people just to demonstrate their power.
While we're marching to D.C. cause there's too much to do
While we're marching to D.C. to demand justice because there is too much to do.
Give peace a chance
We need to give peace a chance to avoid more violence.
There's no turnin' back my friend
We can't go back on this commitment to create change.
When the President said that the tear gas is gone
When the President said that the tear gas was gone during the protests.
The army's pulled out leavin' blood on the ground
The army left behind the violence and the bloodshed.
The streets are empty and the crying's died down
The streets are quiet now, but the people are still grieving.
You can be President if no one's around
You can be in power if no one is there to contest you.
Just like Kow Kow, you've heard it before
Like Kow Kow, you have heard this before.
Get back gangster, don't you open that door
Don't let the gangsters in as they will only bring more violence.
Space Cowboy's back to tell you the score
The Space Cowboy is here again to explain what's happening.
Nothing any good is gonna come from a war
There is no good thing that can come from a war.
Got those low down, profound, killin' four blues
We have a deep sadness for those who died without any good reason.
Give peace a chance
We need to give peace a chance to prevent more violence.
Give peace a chance
We have to promote peace and non-violence to create lasting change.
Give peace a chance
We must continue to seek peace instead of violence and create a better world.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEVE MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind