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Sir Robin John Christian Millar (born 18 December 1951) is an England record producer, musician and businessman, known variously as 'The Original Smooth Operator', 'The man behind Sade', and 'Golden Ears' by Boy George. He was born in London to an Irish father and West Indian mother, and is blind. He is one of the world's most successful record producers with over 150 gold, silver and platinum discs and 55 million record sales to his credit. His 1984 production of Diamond Life, the debut album by Sade, was named one of the best ten albums of the last 30 years at the 2011 Brit Awards.
He has developed and run a string of businesses in car hire, music recording, artist management and publishing and is currently Head of Creative Services for Arts Media Worldwide and for the Blue Raincoat Chrysalis group of companies.
He has worked as a fundraiser for vulnerable people for 30 years and in 2012 underwent a 12-hour operation to install a bionic retina in his right eye to help research into future treatment for blindness.
He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours and Knight Bachelor in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to music, people with disabilities, young people and charity.
In November 2020 he was appointed Chair of Scope UK, the national charity representing 14 million UK disabled people. In February 2021 he rode 407 virtual miles on an exercise bike to raise £40,000 for Scope, whose shops were closed down in the pandemic.
Production on other significant hit records in the period include Fine Young Cannibals ( Fine Young Cannibals), Colin Hay ( Looking for Jack), Big Country ( The Seer), Patricia Kaas ( Je te dis vous), Kane Gang, Bhundu Boys and Randy Crawford amongst others. Millar arrangement the music for the film, And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen... Millar's song "Rich and Poor", co-composed with Colin Vearncombe, was recorded by Randy Crawford on her 1989 album, Rich and Poor. His 2003 solo album, Kiss and Tell, was released by the Nujaz record label.
Millar trained as a recording engineer, classical and jazz musician and arranger, and has trained dozens of engineers and producers, including Jim Abbiss, the producer of Arctic Monkeys and Adele.
In 2010 he produced the 12 track MP4 album "Cross Party". In 2016 he brought together MPs, professional musicians, students and the Thurrock Community Chorus for a charity recording of "You can't always get what you want" in aid of the Friends of Jo Cox MP.
Millar is a patron of The Music Producers Guild, which he helped found in 1987.
Millar was executive producer of the major worldwide series of concerts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Édith Piaf, with shows in Carnegie Hall, New York, The Royal Albert Hall London and major venues in France, Germany, Russia, Europe and the Far East. He has been collaborating with Australian singer/songwriter Eran James whom he met through Elton John in 2010.
He is currently Chairman of Chrysalis Records Ltd and Blue Raincoat Music, who handle the careers of Cigarettes After Sex and Phoebe Bridgers and the music recordings of Ultravox, Sinead O’Connor, The Specials, Debbie Harry, Billy Idol's Generation X and Everything But The Girl and a song catalogue that includes "The Best" global hit sung by Tina Turner and music from the original Woodstock.
Millar appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on 20 March 2015.
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