Michael Edward "Mike" Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known for being a member of the alternative rock band,  R.E.M.. Although he usually plays bass guitar, the piano and sings, he also plays keyboards, accordion and percussion instruments. He helped write many of the band's songs.

Life and career 
Mills was born in Orange County, California. He grew up in Macon, Georgia. He went to college at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. While living in Athens, he met the other musicians who later became R.E.M.

Mills is the main composer of many of R.E.M.'s songs, including "Nightswimming", "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville", and "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?".

He has also played on recordings by the Indigo Girls, Warren Zevon, the Smashing Pumpkins, Jason Ringenberg and The Troggs.

Mills is a member, along with songwriters Steve Wynn, Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck, and Linda Pitmon, of The Baseball Project.

In 2007, Mills was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with the other members of R.E.M.

Discography: recordings with other artists 

1984 – Hindu Love Gods – "Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight"/"Narrator".
1985 – Full Time Men – Full Time Men (EP), 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)
1989 – Kevn Kinney – MacDougal Blues
1989 – Indigo Girls – Indigo Girls, bass guitar on "Tried to Be True"
1989 – Vibrating Egg – Come On in Here If You Want To, writing and performance
1990 – Mike Mills wrote music for Howard Libov's short film Men Will Be Boys
1990 – Hindu Love Gods – Hindu Love Gods
1990 – Hindu Love Gods – "Raspberry Beret"
1991 – Nikki Sudden – The Jewel Thief
1991 – Nikki Sudden – "I Belong to You"
1991 – The Troggs – Athens, Andover
1991 – Robbie Robertson – Storyville, singing on "Shake This Town"
1992 – Jane Pratt Show, theme music
1993 – Automatic Baby – "One" (a U2 song)
1993 – The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream, piano on "Soma"
1993 – Three Walls Down – Building Our House, production
1993 – Three Walls Down – "Steps"/"Wooden Nails"/"Faith in These Times" (live)
1994 – Backbeat, movie soundtrack
1994 – Victoria Williams – Loose, vocals on "You R Loved"
2000 – Christy McWilson – The Lucky One
2006 – Various artists – Big Star Small World, bass guitar on "The Ballad of El Goodo", with Matthew Sweet
2006 – Mike Mills and Sally Ellyson – "Jesus Christ", a Big Star song covered for a charity single for the Red Apple Foundation
2007 – Mudville – Iris Nova, piano on "Eternity"
2008 – Modern Skirts – All of Us in Our Night, production on "Motorcade"
2008 – The Baseball Project – Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails
2009 – Favorite Son, movie soundtrack – "Gift of the Fathers"
2009 – Jill Hennessy – Ghost in My Head, backing vocals on "Erin"
2009 – The Baseball Project – Homerun EP
2010 – Various artists – The Voice Project, cover of Billy Bragg's "Sing Their Souls Back Home"
2011 – The Baseball Project – Volume 2: High and Inside
2011 – The Baseball Project – The Broadside Ballads
2012 – Jason Ringenberg – Nature Jams – vocals on one track
2012 – Patterson Hood & The Downtown 13 – "After It's Gone"/"Unspoken Pretties" – performance on A-side, single released for Record Store Day 
2014 – The Baseball Project – 3rd

References

1958 births
Living people
American rock guitarists
American rock singers
Singer-songwriters from California
People from Orange County, California
Singers from Georgia (U.S. state)