Buddy Miles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buddy Miles
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Miles performing in Germany, 1972
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | George Allen Miles Jr. |
| Born | September 5, 1947 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | February 26, 2008 (aged 60) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1959–2008 |
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George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (born September 5, 1947 – died February 26, 2008) was an American musician. He was a talented drummer, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Buddy Miles helped start the band the Electric Flag in 1967. He was also a member of Jimi Hendrix's famous group, Band of Gypsys, from 1969 to 1970. Later, he led his own bands, the Buddy Miles Express and the Buddy Miles Band. He also played and recorded music with other big names like Carlos Santana. You might also remember his voice from the popular California Raisins TV commercials, where he sang lead vocals for the animated characters.
Contents
Buddy Miles's Life and Music Career
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Buddy Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 5, 1947. His father was a bass player who performed with jazz legends like Duke Ellington and Count Basie. By the time Buddy was twelve, he was already touring with his father's band, the Bebops. He played with them for several years.
Buddy got his nickname from his aunt, who named him after the famous drummer Buddy Rich. As a teenager, he spent a lot of time at local recording studios, learning about music. He left high school in 1965 to become a full-time musician. Later, in 1998, his old high school gave him an honorary degree.
Starting Out in the 1960s
As a teenager, Buddy Miles played with many rhythm and blues and soul music groups. These included Ruby & the Romantics and Wilson Pickett. In 1964, when he was just 16, Buddy met Jimi Hendrix at a show in Montreal. Both were playing as musicians for other artists.
In 1967, Buddy joined Jimi Hendrix for a jam session. They played together again in 1968. That same year, Buddy moved to Chicago. There, he joined guitarist Mike Bloomfield and singer Nick Gravenites to form the Electric Flag. This band played a mix of blues, soul, and rock music. Buddy played drums and sometimes sang lead vocals. The Electric Flag first performed live at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
The Electric Flag released their first album, A Long Time Comin', in early 1968. Their second album, An American Music Band, came out later that year. Soon after, the band broke up. In 1968, Jimi Hendrix also invited Buddy to play drums on his album, Electric Ladyland. Buddy played on songs like "Rainy Day, Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming."
After the Electric Flag split up, Buddy Miles started a new band called the Buddy Miles Express. Jimi Hendrix even wrote a poem for their first album, Expressway To Your Skull. Hendrix also helped produce four songs on their next album, Electric Church. In 1969, Buddy also played on the album Devotion by jazz guitarist John McLaughlin.
Bands and Collaborations in the 1970s
In 1970, the Buddy Miles Express broke up. Buddy then teamed up with Jimi Hendrix and bassist Billy Cox to form the Band of Gypsys. They released one live album together before the band ended.
Later in 1970, while working on his album We Got to Live Together, Buddy learned that Jimi Hendrix had passed away. He mentioned this on the album's cover. We Got to Live Together came out in 1971. Buddy produced it himself, and it included songs he wrote like "Runaway Child" and "We Got to Live Together."
Even though the Electric Flag had stopped playing, Columbia Records released a "greatest hits" album in 1971. Then, in 1974, Buddy and the Electric Flag got back together for a short time and released another album called The Band Kept Playing.
Buddy Miles also made other records with his own group, the Buddy Miles Band. One of his most famous songs, "Them Changes," which he first recorded with Band of Gypsys, was re-recorded by his new band. Billy Cox, who played with Buddy in Band of Gypsys, played bass on this song. "Them Changes" became Buddy's signature song. He recorded it again on a live album with Carlos Santana.
In 1973, Buddy recorded an album called Chapter VII with Adrian Gurvitz. The album cover showed pictures of Buddy's family and friends like Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix. In 1974, he released All The Faces Of Buddy Miles, which had a song called "Pull Yourself Together" that became popular on the R&B charts.
Buddy signed with Casablanca Records and released the album Bicentennial Gathering of the Tribes in 1976. In the mid-1970s, he also recorded Roadrunner.
The 1980s: California Raisins and More
In the mid-1980s, Buddy Miles worked on many new songs in California. This project was called "The Club Fed Sessions." One of the songs, "Anna," helped him get his next big job.
In 1986, Buddy Miles became the voice for the famous California Raisins claymation commercials. He sang "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and other songs for them. He also sang lead vocals on two California Raisins albums, which featured covers of 1960s R&B songs. In 1986 and 1987, he sang with Carlos Santana on Santana's album Freedom. Buddy toured the California coast and the U.S. South with a new band before it ended in 1989.
The 1990s: Tours and Remembering Jimi Hendrix
In 1990, Buddy formed a band called MST in Chicago. They recorded Hell and Back in 1994 and toured in the U.S. and Europe until 1997. They also appeared in a DVD called Tribute to Jimi Hendrix – CAS.
In 1992, Buddy worked with bassist Bootsy Collins and guitarist Steve Salas in a supergroup called Hardware. They released one album, "Third Eye Open."
From 1994 to 2007, Buddy Miles led a new version of the Buddy Miles Express. They toured almost constantly in the United States and overseas, playing nearly a thousand concerts.
In 1997, Buddy moved to Fort Worth, Texas. He started working with a young guitarist named Lance Lopez, helping him produce his first album, First Things First.
Buddy also appeared in the official video The Making of Electric Ladyland, which showed him playing drums in the studio with Jimi Hendrix's original recordings. In 1999, Buddy played on Bruce Cameron's album, Midnight Daydream, which also featured other musicians who played with Hendrix.
The 2000s: Final Albums
In 2000, Buddy Miles worked with Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Double Trouble" band to create the Buddy Miles Blues Berries album. This group also recorded a version of Jimi Hendrix's "Wind Cries Mary" for the Blue Haze, Songs of Jimi Hendrix album in 2001. Buddy also wrote many new songs with this band that have not yet been released.
Buddy and his band continued to make music. Their final album, Road to Sturgis, was a special CD that helped raise money for the Children's Craniofacial Foundation. Buddy kept writing new music until just days before he passed away.
In 2004, Buddy reunited with Billy Cox from the Band of Gypsys. They re-recorded songs from their original 1970 live album with other guitarists. This album, called The Band of Gypsys Return, was released in 2006. Until his death, Buddy continued to play music and perform at many shows. He often used these concerts to help raise money for people affected by natural disasters and other good causes.
Buddy Miles and Jimi Hendrix
Buddy Miles and Jimi Hendrix recorded many songs, demos, and jam sessions together. The music they made at the Fillmore East on New Year's Eve 1969–1970 was later released in a box set called Songs for Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts in 2019.
Some of the songs they recorded together, like "Stepping Stone" and "Izabella," were included on the 2001 collection Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection. Other songs they worked on appeared on Jimi Hendrix albums released after his death, such as The Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge. Many more of their studio recordings have been released on other special collections over the years.
Death and Legacy
Buddy Miles passed away at his home in Austin, Texas, on February 26, 2008, at the age of 60. His family was with him. According to his website, he died from heart problems.
The day before Buddy died, he heard famous musicians Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton playing his song "Them Changes" at a concert. Now, Eric Clapton often plays "Them Changes" in his shows as a tribute to Buddy Miles.
When asked in 1995 how he wanted to be remembered, Buddy simply said: "The baddest of the bad. People say I'm the baddest drummer. If that's true, thank you world." A concert was held on March 30, 2008, to remember Buddy. Many musicians performed, including some members of the Buddy Miles Express.
Selected Discography
As Leader
- 1968: Expressway to Your Skull (as Buddy Miles Express)
- 1969: Electric Church (as Buddy Miles Express)
- 1970: Them Changes
- 1970: We Got to Live Together
- 1971: A Message to the People
- 1971: Buddy Miles "Live"
- 1972: Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live! (with Carlos Santana)
- 1973: Chapter VII
- 1973: Booger Bear (as Buddy Miles Express)
- 1974: All the Faces of Buddy Miles
- 1975: More Miles Per Gallon
- 1976: Bicentennial Gathering of the Tribes
- 1987: Sing the Hit Songs (with The California Raisins)
- 1988: Sweet, Delicious, & Marvelous (with The California Raisins)
- 1994: Hell and Back (as Buddy Miles Express)
- 2002: Blues Berries (with Rocky Athas)
- 2004: Changes
With Jimi Hendrix
- 1968: Electric Ladyland – drums on "Rainy Day, Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming"
- 1970: Band of Gypsys – drums and vocals
- 1971: The Cry of Love – drums on "Ezy Ryder"
- 1971: Rainbow Bridge – drums and vocals on "Earth Blues" and "Room Full of Mirrors"
- 2019: Songs for Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts – drums and vocals
Collaborations with Other Artists
- 1968: The Electric Flag – A Long Time Comin'
- 1968: The Electric Flag – An American Music Band
- 1969: Muddy Waters – Fathers and Sons
- 1970: John McLaughlin – Devotion
- 1974: The Electric Flag – The Band Kept Playing
- 1992: Hardware – Third Eye Open (with Stevie Salas, Bootsy Collins)
- 2006: The Band of Gypsys Return (with Billy Cox)
Images for kids
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Buddy Miles performing in Germany, 1972
See also
In Spanish: Buddy Miles para niños
