A vibrant performer and accomplished technician following in the lineage of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, Butch Miles earned his degree from West Virginia State College in 1966 before taking regional gigs across West Virginia. Between 1972 and 1974 he traveled with Mel Tormé, then spent 1975 through 1979 driving Count Basie’s Orchestra with notable force. Several months alongside Dave Brubeck, documented on the 1979 Concord album Back Home, preceded a year supporting Tony Bennett and led to a sustained freelance career. He performed regularly at jazz parties and festivals with a wide array of players, most prominently Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims, Woody Herman, Wild Bill Davison, Clark Terry, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, and Bob Wilber’s Bechet Legacy. From 1977 to 1982 Miles released seven strong albums on Famous Door devoted to swing standards, along with two Dreamstreet dates that included one vocal session. In 1997 he rejoined the Count Basie Orchestra, directed at the time by Grover Mitchell, and confirmed he remained a dynamic, showmanship-oriented drummer. Butch Miles died on February 2, 2023, in Austin, Texas, at the age of 78.
