Buddy Miles, who played drums with Jimi Hendrix’ Band Of Gypsys, a band that set the music world on its ass with a live album that has stood the test of time, passed away February 26 in Austin, Texas, at the age of 60 from congestive heart failure.

Miles met Hendrix in the early 1960s but didn’t begin collaborating with him until 1969, when Hendrix produced an album by the Buddy Miles Express. Miles was born Sept. 5, 1947, in Omaha, Neb., and was introduced to music at a young age by his father, who played in a band called the Bebops. As a young man he also played with Wilson Pickett, the Delfonics and the Ink Spots.

Miles, often decked out in sequined clothes and an enormous Afro, went on to drum on Hendrix’s landmark “Electric Ladyland” album before officially joining Band Of Gypsys with bassist Billy Cox a few months later.

The group’s lone self-titled album chronicled a New Year’s Eve 1969/1970 concert at New York’s Fillmore East, and is regarded by many as one of the best live albums of the era.

This entry was posted Thursday, February 28th, 2008 and was filed under Jungle News, Blues Artists, Rock Artists. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.