John Miles (musician)

John Miles (born John Errington; 23 April 1949 – 5 December 2021) was a British rock singer, guitarist and keyboard player best known for his 1976 top 3 UK hit single "Music" and his frequent appearances at Night of the Proms. He won the "Outstanding Musical Achievement" award at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards. He released 10 albums from 1976 to 1999 and was also the touring musician for Tina Turner in 1987.

Early life

Miles was born John Errington in Jarrow, South Tyneside,"John Miles".
Mtv.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2013. to Alec and Doris, attending St. Peters School before passing his eleven-plus exam and joining Jarrow Grammar School. While still a pupil at Jarrow Grammar School, Miles started guitar lessons in nearby Hebburn and was encouraged by his grammar school music teacher, Jimmy Joseph, to take up a career in music; however, his first job after leaving school was making lavatory signs. Miles played in several local bands, including The Derringers, The New Atlantians and The Urge before joining The Influence, which also included Paul Thompson, later the drummer with Roxy Music, and Vic Malcolm, later lead guitarist with Geordie. This outfit released the single "I Want to Live" ( Orange Records, 1969). Following this, he formed The John Miles Set, with Bob Marshall and Dave Symonds before starting his solo career in 1971. His first single recorded as a solo artist was "Come Away Melinda" in 1972. There were other releases, including those written by Australian writing duo Vanda & Young: "The World Belongs to Yesterday" (1972), "Yesterday Was Just the Beginning of My Life" (1972) and "One Minute Every Hour" (1973). It was while on a break on a Saturday stint at Peter Stringfellow's Leeds club that he first started writing what became "Music". In 1972, the band appeared on the television series '' Opportunity Knocks.''

Career

Success

Miles signed a recording contract with the Decca UK label in 1975 and issued four albums; ''Rebel'' (1976) - No. 9 on the UK chart, '' Stranger in the City'' (1977) - No. 37 UK, ''Zaragon'' (1978) - No. 43 UK and ''More Miles Per Hour'' (1979) - No. 46 UK. However, Miles had the most success with singles and released a total of eighteen during this era, with four reaching the UK top 40. In addition to "Music", he also charted in the UK with "Highfly" (1975) - No. 17, "Remember Yesterday" (1976) - No. 32, and "Slow Down" (1977) - No. 10. In 1975, the readers of the ''Daily Mirror'' voted Miles as Best Newcomer. Not long after "Music"'s release, Miles was described by ''Melody Maker'' as:

"Music" won Miles an Ivor Novello Award for ''Best Middle of the Road Song'' in 1977. Most of his songs were co-written with the bassist in his backing group, Bob Marshall.

At the peak of his success, in 1976 and 1977, Miles made several appearances on the weekly pop TV show ''Supersonic'' and ''Top of the Pops''. The debut album did receive some attention in the US. Two singles from the debut album reached the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, "Highfly" peaked at No. 68, followed by "Music" which stalled at No. 88. In Canada, "Highfly" reached No. 74, and "Slow Down" reached No. 68. However, "Music" reached No. 1 on the Dutch and Belgian charts and No. 4 on the Swiss charts. "Slow Down" was his biggest US chart hit, peaking at No. 2 on the disco chart, and at No. 34 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in June 1977. It was later featured in the 1979 film '' Players'', starring Ali MacGraw and Dean Paul Martin. The album ''Zaragon'' reached No. 3 on the Swedish and Portuguese charts. In his US tour to promote ''Zaragon'', ''Billboard'' stated that:

The relative success in the US charts led to Miles supporting Elton John on his tour. Miles and his band would go on to tour with other famous artists, such as Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, Jethro Tull and the Rolling Stones. In 1978, Miles was invited to appear on the BBC
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