Jimi Hendrix’s Best Buddy- Buddy Miles

Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Miles If only for his contributions to the Band of Gypsys, Drummer Buddy Miles is one of the true legends of the Sixties rock scene. Born in 1946 in Omaha, Nebraska, Miles began his career at the age of 12, playing drums in his father’s jazz band. By the time he was 15, Miles had hit the road, backing r&b/soul acts like the Delfonics, the Ink spots and Ruby and the Romantics. In 1967, while touring with soul signing sensation Wilson Pickett, Miles was spotted by blues guitarists Mike Bloomfield, who recruited him into his new band, the influential Sixties group, Electric Flag.

In 1968, Mile left the Flag and formed his own group, the Buddy Miles Express (which featured guitarist Jim McCarty, later of Cactus, and, briefly, Hendix’s bassist Billy Cox). Miles did a handful of notable sessions, including recording dates with John McLaughlin (Devotion) and Muddy Waters (Fathers and Sons), and he also appeared on Jimi Hendrix’s studio masterwork, Electric Ladyland. Jimi and Buddy became good friends and were soon playing together often in after-hours jam sessions.

Buddy’s most high-profiles association with Hendrix is his performance of Band of Gypsys, which includes extraordinary versions of two Buddy Miles songs, “Them Changes” and “We gotta live together.” The symbiotic relationship between Jimi and Buddy ended rather quickly, through, as Buddy was relieved of is duties less than a month after the famed New Year’s Eve Fillmore shows that yielded the Band of Gypsys album.

While it would be pleasant to report that Buddy Miles went on from his Band of Gypsys experience to greater triumphs, the real facts are less pretty—so much so that in 1978 he was arrested for grand theft auto and auto theft. Things went from terrible to disastrous for the drummer, and before he could turn his life around he served some significant jail time.

In recent years, however, Miles was on a strong comeback trail. He went back gigging over 200 dates a year—many as a member of country “guitsteel” sensation Junior Brown’s band—and was signing and playing with the vitality for which he was once renowned. In 1999, he released his first album in years, the contemporary r&b/soul-inflected Miles Away from Home (Experience Hendrix/Hip-O Records.)

Gear-Vault Classifieds is an eBay alternative. Come sell with us!