Personal+Life


 * Personal Life**

Charles Parker was an american jazz saxophonist and a composer. Parker was a icon for the hipstersubculture and later in the Beat Generation, personifying the conception of the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist, rather than just a popular entertainer. His style from a rhythmic, harmonic and soloing perspective influenced countless peers on every instrument. Parker began playing the saxophone at age 11 and at age 14 joined his school's band using a rented school instrument. One story says that he was terrible, and thrown out of the band. Charlie Parker spent 3-4 years, practicing up to 15 hours a day. There was a rumor that he played many other things in twelve different tunes.

As a teenager, Parker developed a morphine addiction while in the hospital after a car accident. In 1939, Parker moved into New York City. Where he pursed a career in music, but he had other jobs as well he worked as a dishwasher at jimmies chicken shack. He worked there at 9 dollars a hour. In 1942 Parker left mcshann's band and play with Earl Hines for one year. By 1950, much of the jazz world had fallen under Parkers spell because he was such a good musican.Many musicans tried to copy off his ideas and solo's. Parker was also known to show up without a instrument, and he needed a loan at the last mintue.When charlie Parker had a saxophone is was usually a king super '20' when he would peformed. He eventually had a king super '20' that was made for him in 1947.

Parker died in New York City while watching tv in a friends apartment. He died from a bleeding ulcer and lobar pneumonia. As it was well known that parker never wanted to return to his hometown kansas city. Even in his death. Charlie Parker had a short life, he only lived for 35 years. He also died because of drugs. Shortly after Charlie Parker died, there was graffiti begining to appear around New York with the words "bird lives", when charlie parker was alive he had a nickname as yardbird. The coroner who performed his autopsy mistakenly estimated Parker's 34 year old body for a 50 to 60 years old body. That happened because of all the drugs that he told.