Charles Miller (musician)

In 1980, Charles Miller was stabbed to death in Los Angeles during a botched street robbery. To this day, no one has been arrested or prosecuted for his murder. At the time of his death, he was living in Hollywood with his wife, Eddy Miller, daughters, Annette and Laurian, and his sons, Donald and Mark. He also had a son with another woman, Joseph Charles Newton.

Charles Miller’s deep voice is heard on the War song "Low Rider", and he is credited by many sources as the dominant and initial songwriter of "Low Rider". It was recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco in 1975 and has been sampled by many artists like Flo Rida (who used it for his song "G.D.F.R."), and is heard in movies such as Up in Smoke, Beverly Hills Chihuahua and television shows, being the theme song for the sitcom George Lopez.

In the summer of 1969, Charles was in Hollywood at the first Studio Instrument Rentals (located on Santa Monica and Vine) when he heard Harold Brown practicing with Howard E. Scott and Papa Dee Allen. He joined and the Night Shift was created.

Charles recorded with various groups such as Señor Soul on Señor Soul Plays Funky Favorites (1968), and It's Your Thing (1969), both on Double Shot Records. He participated in recording sessions with The Ray Charles Band, and toured with the Debonaires, Brenton Wood, Señor Soul and Afro Blues Quintet + 1.

In 1967, Charles' interest in music was secondary to football until, when at Long Beach City College, he sustained a football injury.

Charles William Miller (June 2, 1939 – June 4, 1980) was an American musician best known as the saxophonist and flutist for multicultural California funk band War. Notably, Miller provided lead vocals as well as sax on the band's Billboard R&B #1 hit "Low Rider" (1975).