NC Musician | John Coltrane

My father introduced me to jazz as a young girl and I have a real love for the art. I hope you get to know some of these North Carolina jazz greats. 

 

One of the greatest jazz saxophonist of all time, John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, and moved to High Point as an infant in 1926. His grandfather was an elder of the AME Zion church, and his father a tailor, which assumably contributed to his sharp style of dressing. While attending William Penn High School, he began playing the saxophone, before making his move to Philadelphia to study music. Playing with jazz greats such as fellow North Carolinian Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie, he was named "Jazzman of the Year" in 1965, just two years before his early death at the age of 40. Oregon sculptor, Thomas Warren, created the 8 foot tall bronze statue honoring his contributions to the art of jazz. The statue is on the corner of High Point City Hall.