Miles Jaye | |
---|---|
Birth name | Miles Jaye Davis |
Born |
Yonkers, New York, United States |
November 12, 1957
Origin | Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States |
Genres | R&B, jazz |
Occupation(s) | Singer, violinist |
Instruments | Violin, keyboards, bass |
Years active | Mid 1980s–present |
Labels | Island, Black Tree |
Associated acts |
Village People Teddy Pendergrass |
Website | milesjaye |
Miles Jaye Davis (born November 12, 1957), known professionally as Miles Jaye, is an American R&B and jazz singer, jazz violinist, songwriter, and record producer. He had several hits on the US R&B chart in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the biggest of which was "Let's Start Love Over" in 1987. He was for a time the lead singer of Village People.
He was born in Yonkers, New York, and studied music theory and classical violin for more than a decade at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Saratoga School of Orchestral Studies, Indian Hill and Brooklyn College (now Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music). He also played flute, keyboards and bass while in the US Air Force, and launched his singing career while at Clarke Air Force Base in the Philippines. Jaye toured Europe with jazz guitarist Eric Gale and singers Phyllis Hyman and Jon Lucien before taking over as "Cop" in the Village People in the mid 1980s. He stayed with the band for two years before launching his solo career and signing to Teddy Pendergrass' production company Top Priority Records. He released his debut album, Miles, on Island Records, and the song "Let's Start Love Over," written by Micheal Claxton, was released as a single and rose to # 5 on the Billboard R&B chart in late 1987. Its follow-up, "I've Been a Fool For You," a Jaye original, was also a top ten R&B hit and has become a soul classic. Jaye also contributed, as musician, songwriter and co-producer, to Pendergrass' hit 1988 album, Joy.