Buddy Miles
| Buddy Miles | |
|---|---|
Miles performing in Hamburg, Germany, 1972
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | George Allen Miles, Jr. |
| Born |
September 5, 1947 Omaha, Nebraska, United States |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 26, 2008 (aged 60) Austin, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Rock, R&B, funk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, arranger |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1964–2008 |
| Labels | Mercury, CBS, Columbia, Epic, Casablanca, Atlantic, Douglas, Hip-O, Ruf |
| Associated acts | Ruby & the Romantics, Delfonics, Wilson Pickett, Electric Flag, Mike Bloomfield, Jimi Hendrix, Band of Gypsys, John McLaughlin, Carlos Santana, Stevie Salas, Bootsy Collins, The California Raisins |
| Website | www.buddymiles.com |
George Allen "Buddy" Miles, Jr. (September 5, 1947 – February 26, 2008), was an American rock drummer, vocalist, composer, and producer. He was a founding member of The Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–1970), founder and leader of the Buddy Miles Express and later, the Buddy Miles Band. In addition to Jimi Hendrix, Miles played and recorded with Carlos Santana, Mike Bloomfield, and others. In a lighter vein, he sang lead vocals on the popular "California Raisins" claymation TV commercials and recorded two California Raisins R&B albums.
Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska on September 5, 1947. Buddy's father played upright bass for the likes of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, and Dexter Gordon and by age 12, Miles Jr had joined Miles sr in his touring band, The Bebops. Given the nickname "Buddy" by his aunt after the drummer Buddy Rich, he was often seen as a teenager, hanging out and recording at Universal Promotions Corporation recording studios, which later became Rainbow Recording Studios.
Miles played with a variety of rhythm and blues and soul acts as a teenager, including Ruby & the Romantics, the Delfonics, and Wilson Pickett. In 1964, at the age of 16, Miles met Jimi Hendrix at a show in Montreal in Canada, where both were performing as sidemen for other artists.
In 1967, Miles joined Hendrix in a jam session at the Malibu home of Stephen Stills. They also went on to play together again in 1968 in both Los Angeles and New York. In the same year, Miles moved to Chicago where he teamed with guitarist Mike Bloomfield and vocalist Nick Gravenites to form The Electric Flag, a blues/soul/rock band. In addition to playing drums, Miles sometimes sang lead vocals for the band, which made its live debut at the Monterey Pop Festival in mid-1967.
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