Natasha Miller

Though her musical career began as a classical violinist and concertmaster, Miller's true calling came after she moved from the Midwest to the Bay Area in 1995. Charged with a passion for singing jazz standards with her pianist father, she began performing for private events, concerts, and festivals, mixing jazz tunes with her own pop/rock compositions. In 2002, Natasha produced her first album-a collection of her own work called Her Life, and later that year, her first jazz album, Talk to Me Nice. Then in 2003, Miller was giving an interview on KCSM Jazz 91, promoting one of her many concerts. Listening that day was songwriter Bobby Sharp, best known for his song Unchain My Heart, a Top Ten Hit for Ray Charles in 1961. Sharp was blown away by Natasha's voice. After hearing her on the radio, he figured Natasha would appreciate his songs, so he sent them to her. When she opened the package of his songs, including never-before-heard gems, she knew she had discovered a long-lost treasure of the most beautiful jazz ballads. Five months later, she presented a concert in Sharp's honor, bringing tears to his eyes and the sold-out crowd to their feet. Two albums later, Sharp's 35-year leave of absence from his songwriting career is over, his catalogue of songs is out of the piano bench, and this musical tandem is just getting started.