An American rock and funk drummer, most known as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys from 1969 until Hendrix's death in 1970.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Miles was a musical child prodigy, playing drums in his father's band, the Bebops, from the age of 12. He was given the nickname Buddy by his aunt after the drummer Buddy Rich. Miles also played in a variety of rhythm and blues and soul acts as a teenager, including Ruby & the Romantics, the Ink Spots, the Delfonics and supported Wilson Pickett.
By 1967, he moved to Chicago where he formed the Electric Flag with guitarist Mike Bloomfield. The blues-soul-rock band made their live debut at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and released their debut album, A Long Time Comin', the next year. Miles sometimes sang lead vocals for the group in addition to playing drums. The group broke up after their second album and Miles formed the Buddy Miles Express.
Miles had earlier met Hendrix when both were acting as sidemen for other artists in the early 1960s. They became friends and Hendrix produced the Buddy Miles Express release, Electric Church, in 1969.
As Hendrix started to include guest artists on his albums, Miles was an obvious choice. He played on the hugely influential Electric Ladyland album and shortly after joined Hendrix in a short-lived band called Band of Gypsys. The live recording at the Fillmore East on New Year's Eve 1969/70 was a milestone album. However, during a follow up performance a month later, Hendrix had a minor, drug-related meltdown on stage which has also been speculated to have been an act of sabotage. Miles was fired by manager, Michael Jeffery, and the Band of Gypsys ended.
Miles continued to work with Hendrix during early and mid 1970 after the Jimi Hendrix Experience had failed to reform to record. He was included on several recordings which were released in posthumous Hendrix albums.
He then went on to produce other records under his own name, with a band which included bassist David Hull and guitarist Charlie Karp. He also made a collaborative live album with Carlos Santana.
Miles then signed to the 1970s/1980s era record label, Casablanca Records. Miles' work for the label included an album released under his own name, Bicentennial Gathering Of The Tribes.
In 1986 and 1987, after spending the late 1970s and early 1980s incarcerated for drug charges, he also rejoined Santana as a vocalist on the latter's album Freedom.
In 1996, he sat in with rock band Phish at Madison Square Garden.
In 1999, Miles appeared on the late Bruce Cameron's album, Midnight Daydream, that included other Hendrix alumni Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell along with Jack Bruce and others.
In 2004, Miles reunited yet again with Cox to re-record songs from the original Band of Gypsys live album of 1970 with guitarists Eric Gales, Kenny Olsen, Sheldon Reynolds, Andy Aledort and Gary Serkin. The album, titled The Band Of Gypsys Return, was released in 2006.
Miles died on 26 February 2008 at his home in Austin, Texas, at the age of 60. A cause of death has yet to be announced, although it is likely that it was congestive heart failure.