Charles Parker Biography

Charles Christopher Parker Jr. was born on August 29, 1920, in Kansas City, Kansas. He moved with his parent to Missouri in 1927. As a teenager Charles discovered his musical talent through public school. He began playing the saxophone when he was thirteen, quitting school when he was fifteen to become a full time musician with the alto saxophone. During the years 1935-1939, Charles played in many nightclubs with other local jazz and blue bands touring Chicago and New York (Charlie Parker Biography). In 1936, he married Rebecca Ruffin and together they had two children. The couple got a divorce, and Parker remarried to Geraldine in 1942. Soon after their marriage they divorced. Parker then had his first recording session in1941. Blues, swing, and jazz would not be the same without Charlie Parker.

In 1939, Parker was told about his father’s death. He decided to go home for the funeral, and Parker stayed in Missouri for the next five months. Parker decided to head back to New York, where he rejoined Jay McShann 's band. In 1940, that Parker made his first recording called “Yardbird Suite”, also called “What

Charlie recorded with a few different recording labels, including Dial, Savory Records, and Mercury. In 1949 Parker went to Europe at the Paris International Jazz Festival, and even went to Scandinavia in 1950. Europe is where Charlie recorded over half of his surviving work. Charlie said, “Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don 't live it, it won 't come out of your horn. They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art” (Charlie Parker Quote). Also, in 1950, Parker had a live in girlfriend, who took his last name. Together they had two children. He then returned back to New York where the Birdland Club was being named in his honor. Charlie made his last public performance at the Birdland Club in