John Miles - Miles High (1981)

Born John Errington in Jarrow, England on April 23, 1949, singer, guitarist and songwriter John Miles rose to fame in the mid 1970s with a string of UK hit singles, the best known being the bouncy, upbeat “Highfly” (1975). That single was followed by 1976’s “Music”, an ambitious and grandiose ballad interspersed with rock passages which subsequently became his signature tune. “Music” was unusual for a pop song of that time, in that being almost six minutes long, it was not particularly radio friendly and featured a middle eight passage with a 7/8 time signature guaranteed to confound anybody trying to dance to it. This didn't stop the song being a hit and it eventually became a pop classic. Miles was an annual performer at the Night of the Proms concert series which takes place in Europe and the US and was a featured artist at the festival almost every year since 1985 with his performance of “Music” being one of the program’s highlights. During his pop career he was closely associated with Alan Parsons, the talented British producer and musician and Miles was a frequent performer on The Alan Parson's Project albums. Since the late 1980s Miles was a regular in Tina Turner's touring entourage playing keyboards, guitar and backing vocals and guesting on several of her albums. He also played and toured with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page. John Miles’ solo catalog featured the hit albums Rebel (1976), Zaragon (1978), Miles High (1981), and Upfront (1993). John Miles died on December 5, 2021, at the age of 72.