Why Is Charlie Parker Important

Charlie Parker also known as “Yardbird” or “Bird” was born on August 29, 1920 and died on March 12, 1955. He was one of the most important and influential saxophonists and jazz players of the 1940’s. A legendary figure in his own lifetime, he was idolized by those who worked with him, and he inspired a generation of jazz performers and composers. Charlie had a magnetic personality; wherever he would walk into he would change the feel of the room. He started studying music in a local school in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the inventor a more complex and individual music by disregarding the four- and eight-bar standards of jazz, which is also known as bebop. The year 1945 was extremely important for him. During that time he led his own group in New York and also worked with Gillespie in several bands. In December, Parker and Gillespie took their music to Hollywood. Parker continued to perform in Los Angeles until June 1946, when he suffered a nervous breakdown and was kept at a state hospital. After his release in January 1947, Parker returned to New York and formed a band that performed some of his …show more content…
Considered one of the most influential artists in jazz history, he is known for songs like "Star Dust," "La Via En Rose" and "What a Wonderful World”. Louis being born into a very poor family made him become a very hard-working young man who helped support his mother and sister by working every type of job there was, including going out on street corners at night to sing. At age 7, he bought his first real horn, which was a cornet. He got arrested at age 11, where he got first formal music lesson and started playing in the homes brass bands. Although he had a very difficult childhood he managed to over come all the obstacles and be one if not the best jazz musician of all time. He performed till about his late '60s and early '70s, and died of a heart ailment in 1971 at the age of