Born on October 21, 1917, in Cheraw, South Carolina, John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie was a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader. He played a pivotal role in shaping the bebop movement.

Gillespie’s early exposure to music came through his father, a bandleader and amateur musician. He taught himself the trumpet and trombone and was able to attend the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina on a music scholarship for two years, where he played in the band and took music classes.

In 1935, he moved with his family to Philadelphia and was hired to work in Frankie Fairfax’s band. It was during this time that he earned the nickname “Dizzy” for his playful behavior. He then moved to New York and joined the orchestras of Edgar Hayes and later Teddy Hill. While on tour, Gillespie met Lorraine Willis, a dancer who would become his wife and business manager.

After leaving Teddy Hill’s band, Gillespie worked with various ensembles, including those led by Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Earl Hines, and Billie Holiday. He collaborated with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson, John Coltrane, Lalo Schifrin, Ray Brown, Kenny Clarke, James Moody, Yusef Lateef.

Gillespie formed his own orchestra in the late 1940s and, alongside other musicians like Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, pioneered the bebop style in such compositions as “Groovin’ High,” “Woody ‘n’ You,” and “Salt Peanuts.” The collaboration between Gillespie and the Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo led to the development of another jazz style, Afro-Cuban jazz, evident in such compositions as “Manteca,” “Cubano Be,” and “Cubano Bop.”

With his charismatic personality, Gillespie became one of the most recognizable figures in the jazz movement. His unique stage manner, distinctive look with a beret, horn-rimmed glasses, goatee, puffed cheeks, and bent trumpet, made him one of the symbols of jazz. Appearances on TV shows such as The Muppet Show (1979) exposed him to even broader audiences. Beyond music, Gillespie was an advocate for social change. He used his art to address issues of race and equality, championing integration and using his influence to promote social progress. In 1956, he embarked on a State Department-sponsored tour to the Middle East, utilizing jazz as a medium for cultural diplomacy during the Cold War. Notably, the ensemble included both black and white musicians, as well as the female trombonist Melba Liston. The success of the tour earned him the nickname “the Ambassador of Jazz.” His humanitarian, universalist views also led him to embrace the Bahai Faith, which he adopted in 1968. Gillespie’s achievements are internationally recognized. He was named the Baashere of Iperu in Nigeria and a Commandeur de l’ordre des Artes et Lettres in France; he also received the National Medal of Arts from President Bush and fourteen honorary doctoral degrees. (Julia Khait)