Following this, he formed the John Miles Set, with Bob Marshall and Dave Symonds before starting his solo career in 1971.

[20] Not long after "Music"'s release, Miles was described by Melody Maker as "the brightest, freshest force in British rock".

[35] On his US tour to promote Zaragon, Billboard stated that "Miles boast several strengths: solid vocals, sharp guitar play and strong material".

[20][37] Miles and his band also open for other top artists during this period, including Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, Jethro Tull[37] and the Rolling Stones.

Musical skill has never been high on their list of pre-requisites for stardom and as soon as John's fifteen minutes of fame had terminated in the mid-Seventies, the shutters came down with a resounding bang.

Miles' direction with every subsequent record release, yet to those prepared to listen, each and every album contained material that consolidated his status as an exceptional songwriting talent.From 1985, Miles participated almost every year in the Night of the Proms,[20][41][42] a series of concerts held yearly in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Denmark and the United States.

[46] Miles' 1986 album Transition was praised by Billboard, which said that "gutsy playing and even strength of material should assure wide exposure".

[20] He also appeared on Jimmy Page's 1988 album Outrider[48] and subsequent tour (his wide-ranging vocals allowed him to cover both Robert Plant and Paul Rodgers from Page's two previous bands), and played Hammond organ on Joe Cocker's album Night Calls (1992), with whom he toured for two years.

It was held in the marketplace of Landau and involved more than 100 people including the members of the State Youth Orchestra of Rhineland Palatinate and 20 camera operators.

[56][20] In 1998, Miles entered the world of stage musicals by creating the score for the adaption of Robert Westall's The Machine Gunners by Tom Kelly and Ken Reay.

[62][63][64] In 2016, Miles and Kelly collaborated on Dolly Mixtures, a musical based on the story of eight women who set-up a variety act when one of their husbands was diagnosed with cancer – later going on to raise £100,000 in the 1970s and 1980s.

[65][58] Miles died after a short illness on 5 December 2021 at the age of 72[66] and was survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Eileen, two children and two grandchildren.

Alan Parsons wrote of Miles:[68] I am hugely saddened by the news that my good friend and musical genius John has passed.

I am so very proud to have worked with him on some of the greatest vocal performances ever recorded, including of course 'Music', which as well as being a big hit internationally, became an anthem for the hugely popular "Night of the Proms" concerts.

Whenever I invited John to sing on the Alan Parsons Project albums he always delivered magical and sensitive renditions.

You will be missedCarl Huybrechts, one of the joint creators of Night of the Proms said:[43] I've heard him play "Music" a thousand times.