Charlie Parker

Term Paper # 116349

Music Studies > Blues, Jazz

Charlie Parker

A look at jazz musician Charlie Parker's early years in Kansas City.

1,394 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper outlines Charlie Parker's background and how he managed to take an active part of the Kansas City jazz scene even at a young age. The paper discusses Charlie's interest in the saxophone and relates that at the age of twenty, he had already provided his own recordings.

From the Paper:

"Charlie Parker was born Charles Parker, Jr. to Adelaide ("Addie) Bailey Parker and Charlie Parker, Sr. in Kansas City, Kansas on August 29, 1920. His mother Addie was of African-American-Choctaw descent from Oklahoma while his father was an African American from Mississippi and Tennessee. Charlie Sr. wet to Kansas to work as an entertainer and stayed there for a while. (Charlie Parker: His Music, His Life).
"There isn't a whole lot known about Charlie's father who was said to have had a son, John, with a previous "wife". When Charlie Sr. married Addie, he brought John with him. It seems to be a cliche to mention that Charlie Sr. had an alcohol problem, for it seems that alcohol has played a part in so many musicians' lives, but he did. Because of this problem, Charlie's parents separated when Charlie was only quite young."

Sample of Sources Used:

Woideck, Carl. Charlie Parker: His Music and Life. University of Michigan Press.December 1, 1998.
Russell, Ross. Bird Lives!: The High Life and Hard Times of Charlie (Yardbird)Parker. Da Capo Press; 1st Da Capo Press Ed Edition. March 21, 1996.