DIZZY GILLESPIE was born on this day in 1917, in Cheraw, South Carolina. He was a trumpet player, band leader and composer, and sometimes he even used his voice as an instrument. Yeah, Dizzy was a singer too.
Dizzy, whose real name was John Birks Gillespie, learned to play several instruments from his musician father, James. He played the piano at the age of 4, took a liking to the trombone in his mid-teens, then he taught himself to play the trumpet. He received a scholarship to Laurinberg Institute in North Carolina where he studied harmony and theory for two years.
Dizzy worked with local bands in Philadelphia in 1935,before getting his first professional job with the Frank Fairfax Orchestra. In 1937, at the young age of 20, he played in England and France with Teddy Hill, and soon made his first recording.
During his early years he also played with the likes of Cab Calloway, Roy Elderidge, Earl Hines, and Billy Eckstine. At this time Dizzy began writing big band music for band leaders like Woody Herman and Jimmy Dorsey. He also started experimenting with a more sophisticated approach to harmony and soon moved away from his early influences.
In 1945, Diz co-led a quintet with the legendary Charlie "Bird" Parker, and ushered in a new force in jazz, bebop, which became known as the first modern jazz style.
Always the innovator, Diz also was involved in the Afro-Cuban Movement, bringing those musical elements to a whole new audience of jazz, pop and dance listeners all over the globe.
A personality, as well as a master musician, Diz has received many honors in recognition of his contribution to the world of music.
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To read more of his remarkable story, Google his name
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