David Miner (musician)

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David Miner (Born Ft. Worth, Texas on July 24, 1945), sometimes credited as David Minor, is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as a member of Grace Slick's The Great Society in the 1960s. He actually co-founded The Great Society along with Gerry, Darby, and Grace Slick as well as Bard Du Pont, in the sense that he was there from the start. Miner sang most of the lead vocals in the early days of the band and would also write a number of songs including "That's How It Is," "You Can't Cry," and "Daydream Nightmare."

Miner left the Great Society in 1966 for El Paso, Texas, starting a new chapter in his personal and professional life and attending the University of Texas at El Paso as a full time student. At El Paso, he married his second wife, also a student, and they had two children together. They both received BA's in English in 1970, and went on to do graduate work at the University of New York at Binghamton. Miner received a PhD in Comparative Literature from SUNY, helped along by winning a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship and a National Defense Education Act Fellowship. After teaching in the City University of New York for 8 years, he went into business and led a quiet life.

Though he never resumed his former career as a full-time rock performer, he did play with local bands in New York City, such as The Axles, Avatar, and The New Race-- all during the 1980s.

Currently he is again making music as Helion Magister. He released his first new album, Vaquero, on his own Minertavr Records in 2004 and is currently working on another album called, rather lengthily, Songs I wrote In The 60's But never Played The Way I Felt Until Now.

He still lives in New York City (Queens County) and is still pretty quiet. He has 6 children from a 4 different marriages, and has been happily married to Patricia for almost two decades now.