Charlie “Yardbird” Parker



by Michelle Curry

When did he live?: August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955

What did he do?: He was an American Jazz Saxophonist and composer.

Where is he from/where did he live?: He was born in Kansas City, Kansas and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He moved to New York City in 1939 to pursue a career in music and remained there until his death.

Why is he remembered?: Parker is considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. Parker played a prominent role in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, genius technique, and improvisation based on harmonic structure. Parker's unique approaches to melody, rhythm, and harmony greatly influenced other jazz musicians of his time. Several of Parker's songs have become standards, including "Billie's Bounce", "Anthropology", and "Confirmation". Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career, and the shortened form "Bird" inspired the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology" and "Bird of Paradise." He portrayed a clean and penetrating tone on upbeat songs, and played sweetly and plaintively on ballads. His themeless blues improvisation "Parker's Mood" represents one of the most deeply affecting recordings in jazz. At various times, Parker fused jazz with other musical styles, from classical to Latin music, illuminating paths later followed by others.

Honors and Awards?: In 1974 he won the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Soloist for the work “First Recordings!” Parker had multiple recordings inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame including the songs “Billie’s Bounce” (1945) and “Ornithology” (1953), and the albums Jazz at Massey Hall (1946) and Charlie Parker with Strings (1950). In 1979 he was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame and in 1984 he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2002, the Library of Congress honored his recording "Ko-Ko" (1945) by adding it to the National Recording Registry and in 2004 he was inducted into the Jazz at Lincoln Center: Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. In 1995 the U.S. Postal Service honored him by issuing his 32 sent commemorative stamp.