Musician Jerry Miller dies at the age of 81, was counted among the giants of music

Jerry Miller, one of the most influential musicians of the 1960s in the music world of San Francisco, died on Saturday night at the age of 81 in Tacoma, Washington. However, the cause of his death is not known. His death has been reported by the Moby Grape Facebook fan page and journalist Eric Brenner.

The fan page post said, 'Sadly, Jerry Miller passed away last night. 'Joe' and the family are requesting everyone to please give them some privacy and respect. 'Joe' requested people to stop making phone calls for the time being. Thank you.’

Jerry Miller’s career began in the late 1950s when he played and recorded with popular Northwest dance-rock bands. He played guitar on an early version of the Bobby Fuller Four’s hit record ‘I Fought the Law.’ Miller was a member of Jimi Hendrix and Larry Coryell’s time together and would often open for touring bands that visited the Seattle area.

The band ‘Moby Grape’ was formed in San Francisco in 1966, with Miller as the lead guitarist in the three-guitar band. Grape signed with Columbia and recorded four albums for the label between 1967 and 1969. Miller, along with Don Stevenson, wrote three of Moby Grape’s best-known songs, ‘Hey Grandma’ and ‘8.05’ and ‘Murder in My Heart for the Judge.’ More recently, ‘Hey Grandma’ was included on the soundtrack to the 2005 Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman film, ‘The Interpreter’.

Moby Grape toured the US and Europe but disbanded in 1970. The members reunited for an album in 1971 and recorded in several venues. After Moby Grape, Miller formed the band ‘The Rhythm Dukes’ with organist Bill Champlin. Miller’s guitar playing was praised by his contemporaries as well. Eric Clapton called him “the best guitar player in the world” when he first came to the US.