On Monday, June 9, 2025, the legendary Steve Miller was honored with the annual Les Paul Spirit Award at the Gibson Garage in Nashville, Tennessee. The Les Paul Foundation partners with the philanthropic division of Gibson, Gibson Gives, to provide the award. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Miller, was given the award on what would have been Les Paul’s 110th birthday.

The annual award is presented to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the late, great Les Paul through innovation, engineering, technology, and/or music. In addition to the award, a grant from the Les Paul Foundation will be made in the honoree’s name to the charity of his choice. Like Les Paul, Steve Miller personifies the spirit of excellence through musicianship and industry recognition.

Before Les Paul and Mary Ford had their iconic radio show in New York City in 1950, Paul and Ford lived in Milwaukee, near to where a young Steve Miller grew up. Their connection began in Miller’s early childhood, where his parents frequently attended Les Paul and Mary Ford’s performances at Jimmy Fazio’s Supper Club. Once Miller’s dad got permission to record one of the sessions on a tape recorder.

Miller recalled, “After that, they became instant friends. Les and Mary started coming to our house all the time to listen to the tapes, party, have dinner, and stuff like that. And my dad would take me every night to see Les Paul. I was just shy of being five years old, and I couldn't believe how much fun this guy was having. Everyone (now) knows the old Les, but the young Les was the baddest guitar player in the country. And any time he played anywhere, anybody who played guitar would drive 150 miles to see him play.”

One of the stories Miller told about Les Paul was when the jazz legend, Tal Farlow, came to hear him play. Miller stated, “Tal Farlow is a remarkable genius, a jazz guitarist, an extraordinarily gifted guitar player. And he came into the club right in the middle of Les playing this unbelievable guitar solo without looking at the guitar. He was tearing it up, and without missing a beat, Les pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket, wrapped it around his left hand, and continued to play his blazing solo behind the handkerchief so Tal couldn't steal his licks.”

Mary Ford and Les Paul got married at Miller’s house, and Les Paul became Steve Miller’s godfather. He taught Miller his first chords and was the inspiration for Steve Miller’s career as an iconic rock n roll guitarist.

Not only has Les Paul been credited for inventing the electric guitar, but he is also considered the father of modern audio engineering. Music as we know it would not be possible without the multi-track recording, overdubbing, echo, and various other techniques that Paul invented and pioneered.

The 81-year-old Steve Miller has just completed his 5th recording studio, a feat he built from the ground up. Miller explained, “The first one [I made] was so cool-looking, and it sounded so bad.” For the past 25 years, he has recorded his music at his place in Sun Valley, Idaho. But recently, he teamed up with his pal Sid Schneider to create the studio of his dreams.

To the acoustic geeks, he explained, “It has two identical mixing rooms, and each room has 40 bass traps. And it sounds so great in these rooms, and they're identical, except one of them is just a little bit livelier than the first one. So, I have some choices there.”

After receiving the Les Paul Spirit Award, which is made from a piece of Les Paul’s original recording studio, Miller stated, “This baby right here is the first thing that is going into my studio.”

Of course, the evening would not be complete without Miller playing a few of his magnificent hits. He even brought his unrivaled keyboard player from his band, Joseph Wooten, whose playing was something to behold on its own.

The crowd from the invite-only event enjoyed several tunes, including his smash hit, “Fly Like An Eagle,” and the ever-popular “Space Cowboy.”

Past recipients of the award have included Bob Weir (founding member of The Grateful Dead), producer and musician Nile Rodgers, U2’s The Edge, and Peter Frampton.

Follow the Steve Miller Band here. Follow the Les Paul Foundation here. Follow Gibson Guitar here.

  – – –

Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, Facebook, and X.