Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American
multi-instrumentalist, singer, and
composer who was a founding member of the
alternative rock band
R.E.M.[2] Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., his musical repertoire also includes keyboards, guitar and occasional lead vocals. He contributed to a majority of the band's musical compositions and is the only member to have had formal musical training.
Early life
Michael Edward Mills was born to Frank and Adora Mills in
Orange County, California, where his father was stationed in the
Marines. The family moved to
Macon, Georgia, when Mills was around six months old.[3] Mills met future R.E.M. bandmate
Bill Berry while they attended high school[4] in Macon.[5] The duo started out in bands together. Early projects included the band Shadowfax, later called The Back Door Band.[5]
Mills has written and performed with friends on various projects during his time with the band and since.[9] In 1990 he wrote music for Howard Libov's short film Men Will Be Boys.[10] That same year, he recorded with
Warren Zevon together with Buck and Berry as the
Hindu Love Gods.[10]
Mills performs as part of singer-songwriter
Joseph Arthur's band.[13] On April 3, 2014, while performing with Arthur, Mills broke the news that
David Letterman would be retiring in 2015.[14] Nine years later, Mills said: "I spoke to Dave about it later and he said, 'No, it was fine. If somebody was going to do it, I'd rather it be you.' And I said, 'Well, thank you.' It was quite a moment to hear him say that sitting there in the dressing room."[15] Mills took a band self-portrait that he posted to
Instagram[16] and did a short interview about "breaking" the story.[17]
Since 2010, Mills has played with a rotating group of musicians for a series of concerts built around
Big Star's album Third/Sister Lovers. Known as
Big Star's Third, the concerts have taken place in London, Sydney, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York.[18] A longtime Big Star fan, Mills wrote the liner notes for the 2014 reissue of the band's first two releases, 1972's #1 Record and 1974's Radio City.[19]
In 2016, he toured to support a Concerto for Violin, Rock Band, and String Orchestra with childhood friend
Robert McDuffie,[20] along with guitar players
William Tonks and
John Neff.[21] The tour resumed in 2022.[22]
In 2023, a mushroom species of the genus Pluteus, Pluteus millsii Justo, Borovička, Grootmyers, Kalichman and S.D. Russell, was named in his honor.[23]
Musical style
Mills' melodic approach to bass playing is inspired by
Paul McCartney of
the Beatles and
Chris Squire of
Yes; Mills has said, "I always played a melodic bass, like a piano bass in some ways ... I never wanted to play the traditional locked into the kick drum, root note bass work."[24] Mills has more musical training than his bandmates, which he has said "made it easier to turn abstract musical ideas into reality."[25]
During R.E.M.'s career, Mills often harmonized with
Michael Stipe in songs; in the chorus for "
Stand", Mills and Stipe alternate singing lyrics, creating a dialogue.[26] "My voice is the culmination of a lifetime of enjoying harmony," Mills explained in 2023. "When I was a kid singing in the church choir, I was always finding harmony. I usually got the tenor part. I grew up around music. There was always music in the house. So when R.E.M. started playing, I sang. Our approach was that my voice and Michael's voice were extra instruments. It wasn't about a lead vocal and a backing vocal and a harmony vocal. It was just more melody and more instrumentation to add to the mix."[27]
1984 –
Hindu Love Gods – "Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight"/"Narrator".
1985 – Full Time Men– Full Time Men, organ on "One More Time"
1987 –
Warren Zevon – Sentimental Hygiene on "Sentimental Hygiene", "Boom Boom Mancini", "The Factory", "Trouble Waiting to Happen", "Detox Mansion", "Bad Karma", "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands", and "The Heartache"
1987 – Waxing Poetics– Hermitage, production
1988 – Billy James – Sixes and Sevens, production
1988 –
The Cynics – "What's It Gonna Be"/"Roadrunner" (live)
Mills is an avid
fantasy sports player, with interest in
NFL,
NBA, and
PGA teams, among others.[32] He is also a fan of his alma mater's football team, the
Georgia Bulldogs.