Tracks of My Life with Sir Robin Miller CBE

Episode 53,   Mar 29, 09:00 AM

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Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing seven tracks that mark important moments in their life which bring back treasured memories to them.

Their chosen tracks might include the first track they ever heard or the first track they bought to other tracks that mark important memorable moments in their life with their final seventh track being one that they might like to pass on to others that may give people hope for the future or just inspire them.

In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by Sir Robin Millar CBE an internationally renowned British Music Producer, Businessman, Campaigner for vulnerable people and the current Chair of disability equality charity Scope. Robin produced and arranged the legendary Diamond Life album by Sade.

Robin’s Tracks of My Life journey starts with him at the age of 17 a year after he had been told he was going to lose his sight, finding and being inspired by the music and lyrics of Joni Mitchell along with learning to play every track of her Ladies of the Canyon album.

Of course Robin has chosen some great music tracks and a couple that have brilliant intros too, including Jimi Hendrix’s cover of Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watch Tower and Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones. 

It was being on stage watching the Rolling Stones perform at Knebworth behind Bill Wyman’s bass speaker and seeing 60,000 people waving their lighters in the air that really lit the fire for Robin to become a great musician, producer and want to make records that would sell millions too which he did achieve with many albums including the legendary Diamond Life album by Sade.  

We will then have an insight into the time in the seventies when Robin was working as an apprentice audio engineer at the Le Chateau Studios in Paris while Bowie, Elton, the Grateful Dead and the Bee Gees were recording a number of classic albums and his one day a week studying for a post grad in music arranging at the Sorbonne being taught by Georges Delerou who arranged and recorded the theme from Robin’s favourite film Le Mepris.

Before we come to Robin’s final track we will hear how a visit he made with the UN to a refugee camp, meeting people who had nothing at all made him look outwards rather than inwards and start to give something back through getting involved in charity records, Live Aid, Oxfam and much more. Robin found the rewards from trying to improve other people’s situations was better, more important and more rewarding than making records that sold millions.

You can catch the full hour long version of Tracks of My Life with Sir Robin Miller CBE on RNIB Connect Radio, Good Friday, 29 March 8pm repeated Easter Saturday, 30 March 6pm and again on Bank Holiday Monday, 1 April 8pm. 

To find out more about sir Robin Miller CBE do visit his website - https://www.robinmillar.org.uk


Image shows a black and white head shot of Robin wearing dark glasses, a shirt, tie and jacket