Miles Davis

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American musician, jazz composer, bandleader and recording artist, one of the most consistent trendsetters in jazz history. The inventor of more distinct styles than any other jazz musician, he pioneered in cool jazz, hard bop, modal playing, free-form explorations and use of electronics. On his 13th birthday he was given his first trumpet and he played in school with a jazz combo at 16. He also learned the flugelhorn. While going to Juilliard, he sat in on jazz gigs and went on the road 1946-47. In 1948 he formed the "Capitol Band" and performed for his first record contract. He played with Charlie Parker in the early '50s, and with Herbie Hancock 1963-68. Davis was a heroin addict by 1949, supporting his habit as a pimp with seven working girls. With strong family support for rehabilitation, he went into rehab to get clean. Though he overcame heroin in the early '50s, he continued to use cocaine until 1981. He married and divorced four times; four kids. In his 1989 biography, "Miles," he wrote "I want to keep creating, changing. Music isn't about standing still and becoming safe." Plagued by illness much of his life, at various times Davis battled diabetes, pneumonia, a stroke, and hip joint problems caused by sickle cell anemia. He had surgery to remove polyps on his vocal cords in 1956 and broke both legs in an auto accident in 1972. By 1971 he moved into five years of health problems that were so severe that he dropped out of circulation. Davis died of pneumonia, respiratory failure and a stroke on 28 September 1991 in Santa Monica, California, at age 65. Link to Wikipedia biography