Happy Birthday Steve Miller- 10 Things You May Not Know About Him

18 studio albums, 30 million sold, and 30 singles later, not to mention 68 years of being here on earth as of today, Steve Miller is still going strong in the music world. Known to many as the "Gangster of Love," Miller still constantly tours to play in front of thousands over 100 times per year, and is a staple on classic rock radio across the country. So you think you know Miller pretty well because you can sing all the words to "The Joker?" Here are some things you may not know about Miller.

1. Miller formed his first band The Marksmen when he was only 12 years old.

2. Miller was only 6 credits away from a degree in literature from the University of Wisconsin at Madison when he moved to Chicago to play the blues.

3. Steve Miller Band was originally called the Steve Miller Blues Band until they signed with Capitol Records in 1967, and shortened the name.

4. The lyrics, “Some people call me the space cowboy, yeah/Some call me the gangster of love/Some people call me Maurice,” in Miller’s song “The Joker” reference earlier songs by Miller; specifically, “Space Cowboy,” “Gangster of Love,” and “Enter Maurice.”

5. Miller broke his neck in a car wreck in 1972, while on his way to the airport for a European tour.

6. Miller won a lawsuit against rap group The Geto Boys when they used “The Joker” without his permission in 1990. In 2000, he let Shaggy use the bass line from this on his hit, “Angel.” Miller also let Run-DMC sample “Take The Money And Run.”

7. In the TV show Friends, Joey has an imaginary friend named Maurice whose occupation is “Space Cowboy.”

8. For the 2010-2011 school year, you can call Steve Miller “professor” at USC’s Thorton School of Music.

9.  Bingo! Miller's 2010 album was nominated for “Best Blues Album of the Year,” by the Blues Music Awards.

10. Steve Miller Band released a second blues-rock album entitled Let Your Hair Down in the spring of 2011.

Now a trip down memory lane with Steve Miller's first #1....

...And his latest