Charlie Parker

From Harlem Renaissance

1 Early Life
2 Beginning of Music
3 "Yardbird"
4 Birdland
5 Hospital
6 Later Music
7 Last Music and Love
8 Drugs Causing the End
9 Check out some performances
10 Songs
11 Resources

Early Life

Charlie "Yardbird" Parker

Charlie Parker was born on August 29, 1920 in Kansas City, Kansas. He was born to his father, Charles Parker Sr., a singer and dancer, and Addie Parker, a housewife. Parker was mostly raised by his mother. He had a half brother, John, who was his father's son, with a different woman. John didn't live with the Parkers, so technically Charlie Parker grew up as an only child. His relationship with his mother was really close, and sweet. "The most affectionate child you ever saw" is what his mother would say about him. On the other hand, his relationship with his father wasn't so nice. Charles Sr. (his father) would go out from home for long periods of time to get drunk, or to see other woman. Alcohol abuse was part of the reason why he would do these strange actions. Charles Parker Sr. died when Charlie and his Mother moved to Kansas City, Missouri. He got in a drunken quarrel and got killed. Otherwise Charlie Parker had a good childhood, he went to a public elementary school where he had good grades. Before his father died Charlie liked to listen to his father play piano. His father would also play records by masters of the blues and jazz, like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Bessie Smith. This could result in why Charlie liked music, though his favorite thing to do was to read. When he was 13 he began to attend Lincoln High School in Kansas City. Lincoln was an average academic school with a beyond fantastic music program. He joined the program, at first he played the baritone horn. he soon got tired of the low long lasting notes. He then picked up the alto saxophone. His caring mother bought him a beat up old saxophone with her 45$ salary from cleaning houses. He soon began to conjure the basic and joined the, "Deans Of Swing." At age 14 he was positive that his future would be in music. And like Charlie Parker once said, "If you don't live it, it won't come out your horn."

Beginning of Music

Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie

Parker, also known as "Yardbird", was a self-taught Alto Saxophonist. At age 15 Parker quit school to become a musician. He was quickly spotted playing in local jazz clubs, and if he wasn't in jazz clubs he was practicing on his saxophone. His mother took a job cleaning a Western Union telegraph office at night time. This was convenient for Parker because he could go out to the night clubs to watch and listen to some of the finest saxophonist in Kansas City. In the beginning of career he had some failures. He once played body and soul in double time, he was laughed at as he left the stage. He also jammed with Count Basie's orchestra,called , they played I got Rhythm Charlie lost the key and could not get it back. Basie's Drummer Jo Jones added to the humiliation by throwing a symbol by his feet. After being humiliated multiple times he practiced until he could play Lester Young solos in double time. He soon joined Jay McShann's band and Billy Eckstine's band. There he learned how to play and write music he heard in his head. He then started playing with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Christian, Kenny Clarke, and Thelonious Monk at after hour jam sessions at Minton's Uptown House in Harlem where Bebop was founded. Soon Gillespie and Charlie formed a little group who played some of the best jazz ever. It was like these people were meant to create music together.

"Yardbird"

Parker was very well known as "Yardbird" or just "Bird." There are different versions of how Parker got his nickname. Something that even his close family members say is that the nickname was created while he was a teenager. One version of how the nickname started is that "Parker got the nickname "Yardbird" while going to a gig with the Jay McShann Orchestra. The car he was riding and accidentally ran over a chicken and Parker insisted on taking the dead "yardbird" and fixing it up for dinner at their destination, rather than having it go to waste." Another is plainly because he had a big appitite, especially toward chickens.

Birdland

In 1949 Parker was so famous and very well known that even a theater was renamed Birdland after him. At this point he was barely twenty- nine years old. Unfortunatly alcohol would get in the way of his profesional life. In 1954 be was booked to play at Birdland with singer Dinah Washington. Since they both were recognized for drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, they got drunk while being in the theater. Parker was fired out of the club named in his honor.

Hospital

Parker had one flaw, he did anything to have a thrill which he thought was getting "high." his addiction to heroin and alcohol resulted in missing many rehearsals and gigs he also was bad at paying he band mates. Causing Dizzy to leave the band. That night after returning to the hotel Parker was having a nervous breakdown and set a fire in his room. The next day he was sent to mental hospital in Camarillo California due to the breakdown. After six months in Camarillo he was in fantastic health, and went back to work in Los Angeles. He was drug free alcohol free and STD free. And he was ready to go back and make more of the best music ever.

Later Music

Carnegie Hall

Parker started by playing a few gigs on the west coast. He then started moving back east. He went back to New York in April 1947 and formed a quintet. Miles Davis, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, Max Roach, and Charlie Parker were all the members of the quintet. After he returned to playing he started to become an alcoholic and soon after began doing heroin again. He was still up to his old tricks on spending money that wasn't his. On september 29 1947 Parker was asked to play with Dizzy Gillespie (former band member) at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall is a famous conceret hall for elite performers. Soon after he toured around the country with an orchestra. When they returned they played at the Royal Roost Nightclub. During this time he married Doris Snyder but soon they had a non legal divorce. Soon due to the divorce Parker began to use an excessive amount of heroin. Parker was still young and his music was getting better and better. Many young musicians thought doing heroin was the key to success. Even though Parker himself was quoted saying that "Drugs do not help create better music."

Last Music and Love

Soon after the divorce Parker met a girl name Chan Richardson at a Club. Though they were never married Chan changed her last name to Parker and they had two kids. The first kid was named Pree and was born in 1952 but died in 1954. Their second kid Baird was born in 1953. Parker opened up his own club named Birdland. He also performed a couple more times at Carnegie hall before going on a european tour with some swedish beboppers. When Parker was not rehearsing or performing on the tour he was out going to parties. He also took a lot of drugs and was unable to finish the tour because of that.

Drugs Causing the End

Drugs began to get Parker in bigger and worse situations in 1951 he was caught with possession of heroin and his Cabaret card was taken. Parker had to take an average minimum wage job until he received his card back. Losing his card gave Parker a reputation of being unreliable. Because of this once Parker received his card back he was unwanted at clubs. Because of his life going into a crisis Parker attempted to comit suicide twice both by drinking iodine. His was beginning to lose his good health later on March, 12 1955 Parker died from a heart attack.