Art Blakey was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 31, 1930. He graduated from Lane Technical High School in Chicago. After being drafted into the United States Army Air Corps, he became a bombardier. He returned home after the war to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Education, receiving honors for his work in physics, mathematics, English, and speech
He worked as a high school teacher in the Chicago area before joining the Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra as trombonist in 1952. From 1955 to 1957 he played with Count Basie until leaving to become leader of his own band. In 1958 he formed The Jazz Messengers with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Clifford Brown on tenor saxophone, Horace Silver on piano and Fred Wesley on bass.
Music washes away the dust of every day life.Art Blakey
A name doesn't make the music. It's just called that to differentiate it from other types of music.Art Blakey
What ever truth drops on it eventually grinds to a powder.Art Blakey
Jazz is known all over the world as an American musical art form and that's it. No America, no jazz. I've seen people try to connect it to other countries, for instance to Africa, but it doesn't have a damn thing to do with Africa.Art Blakey
