Bird

Charlie Parker

1920 - 1955

Charles Christopher Parker, Jr., was born on August 29, 1920. Less than 35 years later, the ravages of the life he led and the drugs and alcohol he had consumed would lead a medical examiner to estimate his age at the time of his death to be 55. Charlie Parker, along with Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonius Monk, would spearhead a new movement in music known as "BeBop" or "Modern Jazz."

The story

Charlie was a bright student (and many say he was a spoiled brat)
at the age of 13 he discovered jazz and the life of jazz musicians
his good-hearted mother sacrificed and bought him an old alto for $45.00
Charlie taught himself to play the badly leaking horn and joined an amateur dance band - the Deans of Swing
he quit school at the age of 15 and started the drug habit which would be with him throughout his life and would finally claim his life.
at the age of 15 he also got married to 19 year old Rebecca Ruffing.
his mother and wife supported him while he roamed the streets of Kansas City learning to play jazz.
in 1936 he became a father, a son - Leon.
In 1937 he got up (uninvited) to play with Basie's drummer, Jo Jones, who was sitting in at the Reno Club. When Parker became lost in the changes Jones grabbed a cymbal in disgust and tossed it at Parker's feet.
he idolized Lester Young and tried to memorize all his solos.
he joined the Tommy Douglas band and started hanging out with one of Kansas City's best sax men, Buster Smith. (1938)
after his wife and mother suggested he move out, he pawned his horn and moved to New York City.
he took a job washing dishes at Jimmy's Chicken Shack where Art Tatum was the pianist. His fascination with Tatum's lightening speed and harmonic inventiveness would be a guiding light for the future.
his first playing job in New York was at a taxi dance hall.
he often jammed at Clark Monroe's Uptown House, where the revolution against swing was taking roots.
he joined the Jay McShann band in Kansas City and toured until 1942.
in 1943 he joined the Earl Hines band and started working regularly with Dizzy Gillespie.
Bird and Diz practiced legit studies at incredible speeds...the birth of the bebop sax-trumpet lines.
by 1945 he was concentrating on 52nd Street as his base of operations.
1945 was the year that he recorded "Koko" and hired 17 year old Miles Davis as a sideman.
Bird, Diz, Al Haig, Milt Jackson (Bags), Ray Brown and Stan Levy booked a gig at Billy Berg's in Hollywood.
the gig bombed and after only two months the group went back east--all except Parker who had returned his ticket home for drug money.
after ruining a recording session and setting fire to his room he was committed to Camarillo State Hospital for the mentally ill. (July, 46 - January, 47) The inspiration for his famous tune, Relaxin' at Camarillo.
Charlie married Chan Richardson - his 4th wife. They had a son and a daughter.
In 1949 Parker recorded some of his best work and fulfilled a dream...to work with strings.
In 1951 he lost his NYC cabaret license.
In 1954 he was barred from Birdland after a scene which involved firing the string section. He returned home, drank a bottle of iodine and and consumed a bottle of aspirin...a month later he committed himself to the Psychiatric Pavillion.
On March 12, 1955 Charlie Parker died at a friend's home, forever a legend...BIRD LIVES! < P>

If you have any comments or information to add, E-mail Dr. Mike Day at

email:
daym@ncat.edu
Last update: May 30, 1998
All contents copyright (c) 1997.
Department of Music, NC A&T State University.
All rights reserved.

This page created/maintained by Dr. Michael Day

Music Department Homepage

http://www.ncat.edu/ Return to A&T Homepage