Jacob Miller (4 May 1952 – 23 March 1980) was a Jamaican reggae artist and Rastafari from Mandeville, Jamaica. His first recording session was with the famous Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd in the late 1960s. While pursuing a solo career, he became the lead singer for Inner Circle, a famous roots reggae band. Miller recorded and toured with Inner Circle until he died in a tragic car crash at age 27. Biography Early life Born in Mandeville, Jamaica, in 1952, he was the only son of Joan Ashman, a choir singer and pianist. He never knew his father, Desmond Elliot. As a child, he was mainly raised by his great aunt. His mother recounts him having an especially friendly personality. One day in Half Way Tree, he threw all his money in the air to give away to friends. According to his mother, he had a strong inclination toward music—often playing rhythms with his hands or drumsticks on pots, pans, and various items. In 1960, at the age of eight, he moved to Kingston, Jamaica. First recordings The move to Kingston would prove to be a seminal event in his life. Although still very young, Miller began spending much of his spare time hanging around the city's recording studios, most notably Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd's now-famous Studio One. He was hoping to become the studio's next big child star. At just thirteen years old, he recorded three songs at Studio One for Dodd, but most notably "Love is a Message". The two brothers and owners of the Rockers Sound System, Horace and Garth Swaby, played the song often around the time of its release (Horace would later become famous under the stage name Augustus Pablo). Unfortunately for Miller, the song did not garner any real success, nor did it get much attention from Dodd, however it resulted in Horace Swaby befriending Miller and sparking an interest in him as a musician with potential. Musical career After the Swaby brothers launched their own label in 1972, Horace—who'd taken the stage name Augustus Pablo—recorded a version of "Love is a Message" called "Keep on Knocking" in 1974. In the next year and a half, Miller recorded five more songs for Pablo, "Baby I Love You So", "False Rasta", "Who Say Jah No Dread", "Each One Teach One", and "Girl Named Pat", each of which became a Rockers classic with King Tubby dubs