Singer-songwriter Gussie Miller lives in Los Angeles and has a background that includes being a child actor and growing up in a musical family. Gussie learned the art of production for commercials and television & film work while he was taken under the wing by owners of several major recording studios early on. Gussie has toured as a background vocalist with artists like Lavern Baker, Seal and Cher.He has also worked in studio with artists such as Gino Vanelli, Cher, Lance Todd, Marcus Miller, Lavern Baker and Jessica Celious. Gussie’s songs are played around the world in TV shows like “Doogie Howser M.D.” and his voice heard more recently in the movie “I Think I Love My Wife”. Working with some of the biggest names in music and film while taking time off to raise his kids, Gussie has a successful career as an engineer and technician. He was feature on NBC’s “The Singing Bee” and has been the recipient of numerous articles about his many talents. Gussie embarked on a long journey to complete his first CD – “Forever Plan” – which was finally completed in 2016, co-produced and mixed by Mike Fennel, the chief engineer at Universal Music Publishing Group, and recorded by Gussie and Motown engineer Ralph Sutton. “Forever Plan” is now available on all online streaming services, and has even earned a spot on the 2016 Grammy ballot as one of the first “digital only CD’s” in The Recording Academy history. Gussie is currently working on building his audience with live shows and touring to prepare for his next album!
“When Your Eyes Met Mine” is a jazzy, sultry song that mixes with multiple elements of indie, pop, and rock. Featuring Laura Dickinson whose voice is alluring and complements the sexy tones of Gussie’s voice, and beats so smooth and upbeat that are easy to drift away in. You can really tell that Gussie Miller knows how to write good music that engages his listeners, and relaxes their ears yet gets them up and dancing. The lyrics in “When Your Eyes Met Mine” tell a sensual story, leading you through a mysterious and luring tale about love that is almost like each vocal part is a call to the other confessing the passion behind the lyrics. I love the higher register that is found in Gussie Miller’s voice that shows his real talent in manipulating the notes to his pleasure, and you can hear that he really has power behind his higher notes. It sounds like both singers really enjoy adding their own finesse to the song, almost like making music is another language they are both fluent in. Each instrument blends so effortlessly together giving the structure of “When Your Eyes Met Mine” a solid backing and the contrast between chorus and verse really gives depth to the lyrics.
Listen to "When Your Eyes Met Mine" here and get to know more about Gussie Miller below!
Hey Gussie! Fantastic to chat with you! Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and how you began to write music?
I am a musician, audio engineer, and music producer turned artist after years of working behind the scenes with artists like Lavern Baker, Gino Vannelli, Seal, Mindi Abair, Keb Mo and Marcus Miller. I've done a lot of studio work as a session vocalist, and programmer, and I worked in TV as a union audio engineer and in 2016 I released my first solo CD "Forever Plan" for Grammy consideration.
What is the meaning behind “When Your Eyes Met Mine” and what was the creative process like for this song?
The song "When Your Eyes Met Mine" was written with an old friend songwriter Gwen Cardenas and was written about that time when you see someone you like, and the very first time you lock eyes with them and that "magic happens" that's the meaning of the song. We were very lucky to get noted singer and Grammy winning vocal arranger Laura Dickinson to sing the duet with me. Laura and I met after I saw her in a stage play, and fell in love with her vibe and her voice.
What gives you inspiration and drive to write music?
My inspiration and drive to write music comes from growing up in a family full of musicians and music teachers. I caught the music bug early by growing up in a house where my Father was a Jazzer who listened to Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald while my Mother was a fan of more pop stuff like Nat King Cole, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Later on while in Catholic High School, I was turned onto singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Kenny Loggins, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Michael Mcdonald, Level 42, Scritti Politti, Prince, Lionel Richie and of course Fleetwood Mac...and it was all over with!
With such a wide variety of style and taste in genre, have you found that it is difficult mixing multiple genres together to get that happy medium?
Regarding mixing genres, no I've never had any issue with creating tuneful music that is based in many different styles, because that is my life, a mixture of many different styles and with an emphasis on melody being king. always. A great song is always timeless and based on a great melody.
What can we expect to see next from you in 2019?
I am currently writing new songs for my follow up CD tentatively called "My Name Is Gussie" (which is a play on the fact that people always ask me what my real name is, or what it's short for, and it's just my legal name) and so far we are finishing songs we didn't include on "Forever Plan" and I'm seeking out younger remix artists and writers to give the new songs as edge as possible. We have some surprises lined up and some special guests, and we've been talking to some legendary producer engineers, to see if we can come to an agreement of producing. It's going to be a much shorter CD, but it will be epic!
Connect with Gussie Miller on social media:
Website: www.gussiemiller.com