[2] Except for a period of service in the United States Navy in 1943 and 1944,[3] he worked on a cotton plantation until the early 1950s and listened to blues music on the radio.
Suitably inspired, Miles moved to Houston, Texas, in 1952, with the single aim of meeting Lightnin' Hopkins.
However, he persevered and played at local clubs, and he subsequently appeared on several of Hopkins's recordings, including the "live album", Country Blues (1960).
[2][5] In 1961, Miles relocated to Los Angeles, but, with Hopkins being "rediscovered" and his career booming, the two parted ways.
[5] The B-side to both singles was the antiwar song "War Time Blues", in which Miles sang, "Well, when I get my examination card, I want the doctor tell me I too doggone old".