11/05/2026
Miles Dewey Davis
Miles Davis was born on May 26, 1926, in Alton, Illinois, USA. He was raised primarily in East St. Louis, Illinois, where his family moved when he was very young. 
His Early Years
Miles grew up in a relatively comfortable, middle-class African American family. His father, Miles Dewey Davis Jr., was a successful dentist and ranch owner, and his mother, Cleota Mae Henry Davis, was a music lover who played violin and organ. 
Music became part of his life early. Although his mother preferred that he learn violin, Miles became fascinated with the trumpet. On his 13th birthday, his father gave him a trumpet, and he began lessons with local musician Elwood Buchanan. Buchanan taught him to play without heavy vibrato, a style that later became one of Davis's trademarks. 
As a teenager, Miles played in school bands and local groups around East St. Louis. He also learned from and was encouraged by established local jazz musicians, particularly trumpeter Clark Terry, who became an important mentor. 
By the time he was in high school, Davis was already performing professionally. In 1944, he briefly played with Billy Eckstine's Big Band, where he encountered future jazz legends such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey. That experience convinced him to pursue jazz seriously. Later that year, he moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School of Music, while spending his nights learning from the emerging bebop musicians who were revolutionizing jazz. 
https://www.bluebirdbistroandw**ebar.com/events-1/i-remember-miles
