Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 - September 28, 1991) was born in Alton, Illinois and raised in East St. Louis, Illinois. He was a jazz musician, composer, bandleader, flugelhornist, and trumpeter who was undeniably one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He helped to preside over several eras in jazz, including bebop, cool jazz, modal jazz, and jazz fusion. Among those who claim he influenced him are Cannonball Adderly, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, and Branford Marsalis. He suffered from sickle cell anemia, ulcers, depression and alcoholism, and he died from the effects of a stroke and respiratory failure.
Recommended Resources
The musician’s biography and photographs from various times in his life are accompanied by a synopsis of his career and a description of his legacy and a few of his notable quotes.
http://www.biography.com/people/miles-davis-9267992
The official website of Miles Davis offers the latest news about the artist’s work, as well as posthumous awards and other mentions in the media, his biography, videos, and collectibles. There is also a social media section which allows fans and what they call the Miles Davis community to communicate with one another.
http://www.milesdavis.com/
Provides a biography as well as numerous videos of the artist, Miles Davis, playing his music. Also affords his discography and readers the opportunity to buy CDs and MP3s from Amazon.
http://music.yahoo.com/miles-davis/
Presents a section of NPR’s website which is dedicated to Miles Davis, offering his biography, interviews, and archives of his performances and details about his concerts.
http://www.npr.org/artists/15368370/miles-davis
Touts the film by Ken Burns, entitled simply “Jazz,” which is about the life and times of important jazz musicians and which features Miles Davis. The works of Mr. Davis are included here, as are audio samples, photographs from various times throughout his life and career, and mentions of people he said influenced his music.
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_davis_miles.htm
