John Miles, known for his rock ballads, has died.
Written byTimes Magazine
Rock musician John Miles has died at the age of 72, his family has confirmed. Born in Jarrow, North East England, he is best known for his epic ballad music, which reached number 3 on the United Kingdom charts in 1976.
Shortly after that, Melody Maker magazine named him "the brightest and freshest force in British rock." Her family said that the star, who later played with Tina Turner, "passed away peacefully after a brief illness," her family said.
"He was a loving husband, father, also grandfather, and we will all miss him more than words can express," said a statement on Miles' official Facebook page.
You were our first love, and you will be our last." The message echoes the words of Miles' biggest hit: "Music was my first love / And will be my last / Music of the future / also music of the past."
He wrote the song in just half an hour, killing himself between concerts in Leeds. It's a relatively simple song consisting of eight repeated lines that praise his love of music but its rich and intricate orchestration made it a pop icon for rivals MacArthur Park and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Miles never reached his peak commercially, but he has had a long and varied career, releasing ten albums between 1976 and 1999. In 2017 he received the award of outstanding contribution to the Progressive Rock Awards.
"I think I contributed, but that was in the 1970s," he joked as he accepted the award.
"I think it will last. And the song "Music" also endured and became the biggest hit in the world. I am a person who does not talk much, and there are eight lines of lyrics in this song. I started working with the orchestra recently, which is great."
Born John Erington in April 1949, Miles' first musical endeavor was Influences, which also launched the careers of Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson and guitarist Geordie Vic Malcolm.
After they broke up, moved to London, signed with Decca Records, and celebrated his first top 20 hits in 1975 with Highly's melodic rock song. The music was released a year later. Apart from being in the top five in the UK, he had moderate success in the US, paving a support slot with Elton John.
Prog rock legend Alan Parsons produced the song, and Miles went to guest star on several Alan Parsons Project albums, including Pyramid, Stereotomy, and Gaudi.
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