Miles Davis was half man, half invincible trumpeter, and his status as a cultural icon through the decades will forever have an impact on the jazz era in the United States. Davis made his career memorable by defying the standards of jazz music and expectations of critics, and because he did so with such vigor and passion, the name Miles Davis will not soon be forgotten.Davis was born to a middle class family in East St. Louis in the mid-1920s, getting into music through his high school band. After being exposed to the makings of jazz music, Davis had a musical focus and spent the rest of his youth perfecting it. Completely captivated by jazz musicians Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Davis went to Julliard after high school to pursue a musical education, but quickly dropped out when invited to play with Parker's band. Blowing his trumpet alongside Parker's quintet from 1946 to 1948, Davis honed his musical skills, next collaborating with bop musicians J.J. Johnson, Lee Konitz, Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis and Max Roach. The group developed a laid back style of jazz music separate from bop, dubbing Davis as their leader and coming up with the standard Birth of the Cool.Davis' heroin addiction hindered his performance in the early ‘50s, but the resilient musician bounced back to create more lasting music, notably with his quintet involving John Coltrane and Philly Joe Jones. After another quintet with Herbie Hancock (among others), Davis tooted his horn through the ‘60s and ‘70s, evolving his music into an electric style to adapt to the rock-infused ‘70s. 1970's Bitches Brew sold a whopping 400,000 copies, and Davis continued to perform through the ‘70s and ‘80s with all types of music groups, eventually garnering eight Grammy Awards and immeasurable fame before his 1991 death.
