John Coltrane

Born in 1926, John Coltrane grew up in High Point, North Carolina. He played E-flat horn and clarinet, switching to alto saxophone at the age of 15. Coltrane studied at the Ornstein School of Music in Philadelphia and served in a Navy band in Hawaii. In the late 1940s, Coltrane played for bandleaders Eddie Vinson, Jimmy Heath and Dizzy Gillespie, and in 1953, he joined the Johnny Hodges Septet, playing tenor saxophone full-time. During the 1950s, Coltrane struggled with heroin and alcohol addictions until religion finally enabled him to overcome them. His big break came in 1955 when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet, but he left Davis briefly to work with Thelonious Monk in 1957 only to return one year later to play one the landmark album "Kind of Blue." During this period, Coltrane began playing soprano saxophone as well.

In 1960, Coltrane formed his own group with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. The group's debut album, "My Favorite Things," was a reinvention of traditional jazz, while the album "Giant Steps" extended the range of harmonic possibility. The quartet's most famous work, "A Love Supreme," is a four-song suite that represents Coltrane's spiritual awakening.

Towards the end of his life, Coltrane began to explore increasingly experimental and controversial musical avenues. His group expanded to include multiple drummers, African percussionists and his wife, Alice Coltrane, on harp. In addition, Coltrane's His posthumous album, "Interstellar Space," shows him exploring "free" and atonal jazz. Now, over three decades after his death in 1967, Coltrane is revered as one of the most dedicated, soulful and expressive voices in jazz.