Jazz trumpeter and Composer who broke long-held musical norms and helped popularize bebop and jazz fusion. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, 15 years after his death.
He claimed that he was slapped on his knuckles by his instructor Elwood Buchanan whenever he played with vibrato. He was heavily influenced by Clark Terry during his formative years.
His most famous musical album was "Kind of Blue," which was released in 1959 by Columbia Records. It was voted in as a national treasure by the House of Representatives in 2009 on its 50th anniversary.
He rode horses on his parents' ranch in northern Arkansas. He married his third wife Cicely Tyson on November 26, 1981. He had four children: Cheryl, Miles IV, Gregory and Erin.
He structured his 1948 band as a nonet with a tuba, thus emulating jazz legend Duke Ellington.
