Miles Davis Biography

Fast Facts

• His 1959 album "Kind of Blue" became the best-selling jazz album of all time
• Was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006
• Studied at the Juilliard School of Music for one year before dropping out to join Charlie Parker's quintet, which later produced the first be-bop singles "Now's the Time" and "Koko․"
• Got married to actress Cicely Tyson in 1981 at the home of comedian Bill Cosby
• Got his first trumpet at the age of 13 and got his musicians' union card two years later so he could perform in St․ Louis with Eddie Randall's Blue Devils
• Joined the Billy Eckstine band in 1944, which featured Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and became part of the early be-bop movement
• Quote: "(On exploring such a wide variety of jazz styles throughout his career): "I have to change․ It's like a curse․""
• Best known as a jazz musician, composer, and band leader who was considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century
• Has a street on the Upper West Side of New York City named after him