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The Final Curtain
George Allen “Buddy” Miles Jr., an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist, and producer, passed away on February 26, 2008, at the age of 60. 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. Miles also played and recorded with Carlos Santana and others. He also sang lead vocals on the California Raisins claymation TV commercials and recorded two California Raisins R&B albums. According to multiple sources, the cause of death was heart failure.
A Life in Music
Born on September 5, 1947, in Omaha, Nebraska, Buddy Miles was a child prodigy who began his music career at a young age. His father played upright bass for Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, and others. By age twelve, Miles had begun touring with his father’s band, the Bebops. He played with a variety of rhythm and blues and soul acts as a teenager, including Ruby & the Romantics, the Delfonics, and Wilson Pickett. In 1967, he and Bloomfield co-founded Electric Flag, whose rock-brass sound influenced Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Buddy Miles and Jimi Hendrix
Buddy Miles is probably best known for his stint with Band of Gypsys, an all-black group put together by Hendrix in 1969 after the dissolution of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Miles and bass player Billy Cox, an old Army buddy of Hendrix’s, kicked the guitarist into a higher gear with an Afrocentric, polyrhythmic groove. The funky sound marked a strong contrast from the melodic stylings of Hendrix’s English bandmates in the Experience, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bass player Noel Redding. The Band of Gypsys are immortalized on an acclaimed album of the same name, which drew from four shows performed on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City. Miles contributed two of his own compositions, “We Gotta Live Together” and “Changes.”
The Cause of Death: Heart Failure
Buddy Miles died at his home in Austin, Texas. His publicist confirmed that Miles, who was 60, suffered from congestive heart failure. However, the official cause of death was not disclosed. His death marked the end of an era, but his music and influence continue to live on in the hearts of many.
