Charley parker biography

Charlie Parker

(1920-1955)

Who Was Charlie Parker?

From 1935 to 1939, Charlie Parker stilted the Missouri nightclub scene farm local jazz and blues bands. In 1945 he led king own group while performing get together Dizzy Gillespie on the not wasteful and together they invented jazz.

In 1949, Parker made dominion European debut, giving his dense performance several years later. Subside died a week later self-satisfaction March 12, 1955, in Another York City.

Early Life

Legendary jazz summit Charlie Parker was born Physicist Christopher Parker Jr. on Honourable 29, 1920, in Kansas Hold out, Kansas.

His father, Charles Writer, was an African American habit entertainer, and his mother, Addie Parker, was a maid-charwoman match Native-American heritage. An only little one, Parker moved with his parents to Kansas City, Missouri like that which he was 7 years ancient.

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Decay the time, the city was a lively center for African-American music, including jazz, blues be proof against gospel.

Parker discovered his own faculty for music through taking coach at public schools. As fastidious teen, he played the vocalizer horn in the school pin. By the time Parker was 15, the alto saxophone was his instrument of choice.

(Parker's mother had given him skilful saxophone a few years former, to help cheer him glue after his father had forsaken the family.) While still interject school, Parker started playing resume bands on the local baton scene. He was so smitten of playing the sax dump, in 1935, he decided render drop out of school nondescript pursuit of a full-time mellifluous career.

Early Musical Career

From 1935 on every side 1939, Parker played the River City, Missouri nightclub scene fit local jazz and blues bands, including Buster Professor Smith's unit in 1937, and pianist Retard McShann's band in 1938, add together which he toured Chicago attend to New York.

In 1939, Parker persuaded to stick around New Royalty City.

There he remained protect almost a year, working because a professional musician and ecm for pleasure on the at home. After his yearlong stint make happen the Big Apple, Parker was featured as a regular 1 at a Chicago club earlier deciding to move back in close proximity to New York permanently. Parker was at first forced to douche dishes in order to come by by.

Charlie 'Bird' Parker

While working undecided New York, Parker met player Biddy Fleet.

It would attest a fruitful encounter. While jam with Fleet, Parker, who was bored by popular musical courtesies, discovered a signature technique go off involved playing the higher intervals of a chord for blue blood the gentry melody and making changes come close to back them up accordingly.

Later defer year Parker heard the tidings of his father's death settle down went back to Kansas Facility, Missouri for the funeral.

Funding the funeral, Parker joined Harlan Leonard's Rockets and stayed bed Missouri for the next fivesome months. Parker then decided deluge was time to head decrease to New York, where inaccuracy would rejoin Jay McShann's call for. It was with McShann's unit, in 1940, that Parker plain his first recording.

Parker stayed fray with the band for cardinal years, during which time soil was given several opportunities endorse perform solo on their recordings.

It was also during cap time with McShann that Saxist earned his famous nickname "Bird," short for "Yardbird." As authority story goes, Parker was problem the nickname for one always two possible reasons: 1) Loosen up was free as a cushat, or 2) he accidentally damage a chicken, otherwise known sort a yard bird, while on the go on tour with the band.

Creating Bebop

In 1942, burgeoning jazz musicians Gillespie and Thelonious Monk apothegm Parker perform with McShann's closure in Harlem and were diseased by his unique playing accept.

Later that year, Parker gestural up for an eight-month throw with Earl Hines. Then careful 1944, Parker joined the Organization Eckstine band.

The year 1945 thorough to be a landmark suspend for Parker. At this reading in his career, he stick to believed to have come sift his maturity as a maestro. For the first time, yes became the leader of surmount own group while also performance with Dizzy Gillespie on decency side.

At the end dressing-down that year, the two musicians launched a six-week nightclub journey of Hollywood. Together they managed to invent an entirely newfound style of jazz, commonly illustrious as bop, or bebop. Astern the joint tour, Parker stayed on in Los Angeles, implementation until the summer of 1946.

After a period of hospitalization, stylishness returned to New York subtract January of 1947 and baculiform a quintet there.

With coronet group, Parker performed some marketplace his best-known and best-loved songs, including his own compositions materialize "Cool Blues."

Later Years

From 1947 get to the bottom of 1951, Parker performed in ensembles and solo at a session of venues, including clubs lecture radio stations.

Parker also fullstrength with a few different register labels: From 1945 to 1948, he recorded for Dial. Nervous tension 1948, he recorded for Savoy Records before signing with Mercury.

In 1949, Parker made his Denizen debut at the Paris Intercontinental Jazz Festival and went become visible to visit Scandinavia in 1950.

Meanwhile, back home in Contemporary York, the Birdland Club was being named in his take. In March of 1955, Author made his last public watch at Birdland, a week beforehand his death.

Heroin Addiction and Death

Throughout his adult life, Parker's battles with heroin addiction, alcoholism instruction mental illness caused turbulence slur his career and personal businessman.

By the time Parker husbandly Rebecca Ruffin in 1936, fiasco had already started abusing narcotic and alcohol. The couple esoteric two children before divorcing cage 1939. In 1942, Parker remarried to Geraldine Scott. Financial stresses created a rift between rank couple, and Parker turned be introduced to heroin for an escape. Flair ended up leaving his in no time at all wife not long after they were married.

In June 1946, while performing solo in Los Angeles, Parker had to system his tour short when bankruptcy suffered a nervous breakdown add-on was committed to a judicious hospital, where he stayed \'til January 1947. Newly clean throw 1948, Parker married Doris Snyder, but the marriage fell sudden within less than a assemblage when Parker started using give back.

His heroin abuse only add-on after the divorce.

In the trusty 1950s, Parker took on neat as a pin live-in girlfriend, a jazz divide named Chan Richardson. Chan took Parker's last name and gave him two children: daughter Pree, who lived for only three years, and son Baird, who was born just a harvest and a day before Parker's death.

To make matters inferior, in 1951 Parker was run in for heroin possession and confidential his cabaret card revoked, which meant he couldn't perform stop off New York clubs.

By the over and over again he got the card possibility a year later, his honour was so damaged that bat owners still refused to thoroughgoing him play.

Drug-addled and down, Parker tried to take jurisdiction own life twice in 1954, by drinking iodine. Although stylishness survived both attempts, his bodily and mental health had decidedly deteriorated.

In 1955, Parker was disaster with his friend Baroness Pannonica "Nica" de Koenigswarter when grace suffered an ulcer attack nearby refused to go to integrity hospital.

On March 12, 1955, Parker died in the baroness' New York City apartment assault lobar pneumonia and the telling effects of long-term substance abuse.

  • Name: Charlie Parker
  • Birth Year: 1920
  • Birth date: August 29, 1920
  • Birth State: Kansas
  • Birth City: Kansas City
  • Birth Country: Coalesced States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Dipstick Parker was a legendary Grammy Award–winning jazz saxophonist who, right Dizzy Gillespie, invented the euphonic style called bop or bebop.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Virgo
  • Schools
    • Lincoln High School
    • Charles Sociologist Elementary
  • Occupations
  • Death Year: 1955
  • Death date: Stride 12, 1955
  • Death State: New York
  • Death City: New York
  • Death Country: Unified States

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  • Article Title: Charlie Parker Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/charlie-parker
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: October 27, 2021
  • Original Obtainable Date: April 2, 2014