Floyd Miles (April 13, 1943 – January 25, 2018) was an American

electric blues Electric blues refers to any type of blues music distinguished by the use of electric amplification for musical instruments. The guitar was the first instrument to be popularly amplified and used by early pioneers T-Bone Walker in the late 1930 ...

and

soul blues Soul blues is a style of blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of soul music and urban contemporary music. Origin African American singers and musicians who grew up listening to the electric blues by ar ...

guitarist, singer and songwriter. He released four solo albums from 1992 onwards.

Life and career

Miles was born and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida, growing up as the youngest of eleven children. He left home at the age of 15. His musical career really started when playing with The Universals, a

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

band which were locally popular in the early 1960s. At the time Miles was a singing drummer for the band, and he befriended both Gregg and

Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock guitarist, session musician, and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame i ...

, who lived nearby and jammed with the band. After playing drums and singing with several other local groups, Miles founded his own band, which backed musicians such as

Arthur Conley Arthur Lee Conley (January 4, 1946 – November 17, 2003), also known in later years as Lee Roberts, was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit " Sweet Soul Music". Early life Conley was born in McIntosh County, Georgia, U.S., an ...

Erma Franklin Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938 – September 7, 2002) was an American gospel and soul singer. Franklin was the elder sister of American singer/musician Aretha Franklin. Franklin's best known recording was the original version of " Piece of ...

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

Eddie Floyd Edward Lee Floyd (born June 25, 1937) is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song " Knock on Wood". Biography Floyd was born in ...

and

Percy Sledge Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 196 ...

. Through his friendship of the Allmans, Miles moved on to supply guitar backing for

Clarence Carter Clarence George Carter (born January 14, 1936) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. His most successful songs include " Slip Away", "Back Door Santa" (both released 1968), " Patches" (1970) and "Strokin" (1986). Ear ...

. He later performed with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...

. His debut solo album was ''Crazy Man'' (1992), which included musical assistance from Gregg Allman and

Dickey Betts Forrest Richard Betts (born December 12, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. Early in his career, he collaborated with Duane Allman, introducing melodic tw ...

. ''Goin' Back to Daytona'' was released in 1994. Miles gained greater national prominence when he played on tour with the ensemble Gregg Allman & Friends. His third album, ''Mountain to Climb'' (1999), was released by Beloved Records. His last recording, ''Another Man Will'', produced by Roy Roberts, was released in 2002. Miles performed at the Boundary Waters Blues Festival and, in 1996 and 2009, at the

Sarasota Blues Fest The Sarasota Blues Fest was an annual music festival held at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida. In addition to all day live entertainment, the festival has vendors selling a wide array of food, drink and crafts. History The Sarasota Blues Fest ...

Death

Miles died on January 25, 2018, at the age of 74.

Discography

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, Floyd 1943 births 2018 deaths Musicians from Daytona Beach, Florida American blues singers African-American male singers American blues guitarists African-American male guitarists African-American drummers Electric blues musicians Soul-blues musicians 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians

Life and career

Death

Discography

See also

References

External links