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

electric blues Electric blues is 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 1930s and John Lee Ho ...

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 American singers and musicians who grew up listening to the electric blues by artists s ...

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

Life and career

Miles was born and raised in

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona� ...

, 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 The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

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, 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. She recorded the original version of " Piece of My Heart", written and produced by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns in 1967, for which she was nom ...

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

, Eddie Floyd and Percy Sledge. 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 (Clarence Carter song), Slip Away", "Back Door Santa" (both released 1968), "Patches (Ch ...

. 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 orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

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

Dickey Betts Forrest Richard Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as a longtime member of the Allman Brothers Band. A co-founder of the band when it formed in 1969, he was central ...

. ''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.

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 American male drummers Drummers from Florida

Life and career

Death

Discography

See also

References

External links