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Birth of a king -

Miles Dewey Davis III was born on May 26, 1926, in Alton, Illinois to Cleota and Miles Davis II. The family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, when Davis was just a year old, and the young virtuoso would spend most of his school years in the city.

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A wealthy upbringing -

The Davis family did well for themselves, and lived in an upscale apartment in a well-to-do neighborhood of St. Louis. His mother was a music teacher and an accomplished violinist, while his father led a successful career as a dentist.

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The trumpeting son of a violinist -

For Davis's ninth birthday, a family friend gifted him his first trumpet, much to his mother's dismay. While music was very much appreciated and encouraged in the Davis household, his mother had wished Davis would follow in her footsteps and become a violinist.

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An early obsession -

Despite his mother's pleas and condemnations, Davis quickly became obsessed with his horn. He immediately began to take lessons with Elwood Buchanan, a patient of his father's. Davis's innate talent was immediately recognized by his mentor and his family.

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A fateful night in St. Louis -

One summer night, in 1944, a group of legendary swing musicians, including the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker led by Billy Eckstine, came to play in St. Louis, but were short a trumpeter, for whom young Davis filled in. Particularly impressed with Parker's musicianship, Davis decided once and for all to move to New York and become part of the scene.

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Davis in New York -

While Davis' mother still had her heart set on her son studying in St. Louis and becoming a violinist, his resolve couldn't be swayed. By September 1944, Davis had auditioned and been accepted into the Julliard School.

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Jaded at Julliard -

While Davis would later admit he gained some valuable insight in the classroom, he generally disliked Julliard, then known as the Institute for the Musical Arts, and considered it a waste of time. After three semesters of skipping classes, Davis officially dropped out in 1945.

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In search of Charlie -

Instead of going to classes, Davis spent most of his time haunting the bars and clubs of New York, hoping to reconnect with Charlie Parker, whose style he admired over all others.

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The Charlie Parker Quintet -

After tracking down Parker, the pair became roommates for some time. Davis became a frequent player at the jazz clubs around the city, and eventually replaced Dizzy Gillespie in Charlie Parker's quintet in 1945. During this time, Davis also collaborated with greats like Max Roach and Charles Mingus.

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An invitation from the Duke -

Another one of Davis' idols, Duke Ellington, reached out to Davis with an offer to join the Duke's band on tour. As much of a dream come true as this would have been for Davis, he declined Ellington's offer because he was in the middle of writing and recording what would become one of the most influential jazz albums of all time.

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The Miles Davis Nonet -

By this time, Davis had formed his own band, known unofficially as the Miles Davis Nonet. Davis' band of nine instruments was unusually large for the bebop that was popular at the time, which was usually played by bands of only four, five, or six.

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‘Birth of the Cool’ -

Davis and his nine-member band wrote and recorded 11 tracks over the course of three studio sessions between 1949 and 1950. Some singles were released directly after recording, but the 11 tracks did appear together under the name 'Birth of the Cool' in 1957. Regardless, the songs and sounds created during those sessions did in fact give birth to a new, post-bebop kind of jazz, a more relaxed and soulful type of jazz, known as "cool jazz."

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Persistent addictions -

Although Davis was never exposed to drug use or alcoholism at home, and arrived to New York clean and sober, it didn't take long for him to succumb to the vices of the big city. Davis would struggle with numerous addictions throughout his life that would have drastic impacts on his relationships with music and with his family.

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Davis in Paris -

In between 'Birth of the Cool' recording sessions in 1949, Davis traveled to Paris as part of Tadd Dameron Quintet. On this trip, he fell in love with Paris and the people there, later saying the trip "changed the way I looked at things forever." It was also in Paris that Davis met long-time lover and confidant Juliette Gréco (pictured).

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‘Elevator to the Gallows’ (1958) -

Later in the 1950s, Davis would write one of his only original film scores for Louis Malle's groundbreaking noir film 'Elevator to the Gallows,' starring Jeanne Moreau (pictured). In an incredible feat of mixing techniques and mediums, the entire score was recorded on the spot, with Davis and company improvising while watching the film in the studio.

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Davis in the movies -

While Davis only wrote two original film scores, he did take on a number of small cameo roles in film and television. He can be seen playing a horn on the street in the 1988 Christmas film 'Scrooged,' starring Bill Murray.

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Davis in Detroit -

Upon returning from Paris, Davis' heroin habit became more and more severe. The troubled musician decided to retreat for some time to Detroit, where, he hoped, it would be easier to rid himself of his addiction. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and his times in Detroit were some of the darkest of his life. Eventually, Davis moved back into his father's house and locked himself away for a week until his withdrawals had subsided.

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The birth of hard bop -

Returning to New York in 1954 feeling clean and rejuvenated, Davis once again reinvented the genre of jazz with his 1957 record titled 'Walkin'.' 'Walkin'' developed what is now called "hard bop," a driving, fast-paced style of jazz that was in direct contradiction to the relaxed, lazy styles that were popular at the time. 'Walkin'' was also one of the first records that showcased the now-iconic style of Davis playing a muted trumpet.

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Davis signs with Columbia Records -

After a hugely popular performance at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival in 1955, Davis was approached by George Avakian, a Columbia Records representative, who proposed a contract that Davis gladly accepted.

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The Miles Davis Quintet -

Miles Davis formed his quintet shortly after signing with Columbia. The original lineup included other jazz greats such as Paul Chambers and John Coltrane. This iteration of the quintet would lay claim to some of the greatest records Davis ever recorded.

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‘Kind of Blue’ -

'Kind of Blue,' recorded during just two sessions in March and April 1959, was released in August of that same year. Today, 'Kind of Blue' is considered to be not only Miles Davis' best record, but one of the best and most influential records in the history of jazz.

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‘Kind of Blue’ -

Many people would call 'Kind of Blue' a perfect album. The sextet that Davis put together included John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, and Bill Evans, among others. The team popularized the concept of "modal jazz," a form of improvisational jazz that ties itself together using a musical motif, or "mode," that lies at the center of the musicians' improvisation. With over four million copies sold, 'Kind of Blue' is by far the most commercially successful jazz record ever recorded.

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A musical chameleon -

Having already turned jazz upside down three times by the time he was 33 years old, Davis continued to push the genre into new territory for his entire career. After revolutionizing cool jazz, hard bop, and modal jazz, Davis would go on to conquer the world of fusion jazz and even dabble in rock and roll.

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Davis in the 1970s -

The 1970s saw Miles Davis at his most experimental. Many of the fusion records that came out of this time period were met with polarized reception, although no one could criticize him for not being innovative. Crossing the boundaries between jazz and funk and rock the way Davis did was unheard of at the time.

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Downfall and return -

In 1975, following a number of health issues on tour, Davis returned to New York, retreated from the public eye, and abruptly stopped making music. Davis once recalled in an interview that during this time, "sex and drugs took the place music had occupied in my life."

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Downfall and return -

By the end of the decade, Davis had once more gotten his addictions under control and began writing and recording music again. Davis released two more records and played a number of live shows, until tragedy struck once more.

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The stroke -

During a relapse in which he succumbed to his ever-present alcoholism, Davis suffered a stroke and lost movement in his right hand. Thankfully, after months of treatment, particularly acupuncture, Davis' hand healed, and he was able to continue playing for a few more years.

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Death -

After going to the hospital for a routine checkup, Davis suffered an intracerebral hemorrhage and fell into a coma. After a number of days on life support, he was unplugged from the machines and died on September 28, 1991.

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Awards and legacy -

During his lifetime, Miles Davis was nominated for 32 Grammy Awards, and won eight. In addition to these, Davis was awarded countless other distinctions by groups, magazines, and even national governments. He cemented his place in history as one of the greatest jazz musicians in history, if not the very greatest.

Sources: (Factinate) (Mental Floss) (Jazz Musics)

See also: Who are the most influential jazz artists of all time?

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