Every year I am blessed to go to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a 13 stage celebration of food and music.
I look forward to seeing the big names and the up-and-coming acts.
This year I was excited to see The Steve Miller Band. I have loved them ever since 6th grade.
Interview with Steve Miller
A few bands each year are interviewed by our local radio station (in a building on the festival grounds.) Their stories are recorded for posterity’s sake.
I was lucky to catch a Q&A with Steve Miller right before he went onstage.
The discussion was eye opening: Steve Miller wasn’t just another pop artist. He had such a rich and bluesy background before he became famous.
Interesting Facts About Steve Miller:
- Steve grew up with musical parents, with famous musicians visiting his house, like Les Paul, T-Bone Walker and Charles Mingus.
- Les Paul (the famous guitar maker) became Steve’s godfather. He heard Steve banging on a guitar when he was 6 and encouraged him to keep playing.
- Steve had a high school band that traveled the deep south playing frat parties.
- Boz Scaggs, a high school classmate of his, was a member of his different band incarnations throughout the 60s before starting his own solo career.
- Steve moved to Chicago and followed his dream of becoming a blues musician, playing with all the blues greats.
- He then moved to San Francisco to become part of the emerging music scene in the late 60’s, where he formed the Steve Miller Blues Band.
- Steve hung out and played with many musical greats. Jimi Hendrix became his friend and mentor.
The Steve Miller Blues Band then signed a record deal, and were convinced to drop the word “blues” from their name to attract a wider audience.
In the 70’s “The Steve Miller Band” started putting out hits that we all know and love.
His music became less bluesy, less psychedelic and more mainstream.
But at his roots Steve Miller is a blues guitarist, and still tries to weave the blues into every show.
I am glad I took time away from the music and sun to hear Steve’s story.
Your challenge. Learn from your people’s stories.
Take a break from the go-go routine of work and spend one-on-one time with your people.
Find out more about them: their families and histories, their hobbies, and what they do in their spare time.
Find out who inspires them, and you may be inspired by what you uncover.
My client and friend, Ivan Katz, does this with his Mexican workforce.
He spends each winter down south visiting their families, joining in on their celebrations, and getting to know their stories.
Because of this investment, his people have become loyal, and his life is enriched.
That’s a powerful story!
Regards, Jeffrey Scott!
P.S. Join Sean Baxter (Lawn and Landscape Solutions) and myself tomorrow/Wednesday at 12 noon ET, where we dig into The Power of a Peer Group.
Sean and I will share stories of “burden, triumph and inspiration” from our years of experience in our peer group community.
Learn how to grow your business and make friends for life by becoming a member of our peer group, The Leader’s Edge.
Register here.
