Miles Dewey Davis III Jazz Extraordinaire

Date of Birth: Miles Davis was born on May 25, 1926, in Alton, Illinois

Family His father, Miles Dewey Davis Jr. was a dentist in Alton, Illinois, where he was born. His mother, Cleota Davis, was a leisurely woman, she did not work. He had an older sister, and a younger brother.

Early Life Miles Davis was born into a wealthy, upper middle class family. Miles began taking private music lessons at a young age. He received his first trumpet as a gift from his father on his 13th birthday.

Teenage Years… After receiving his first trumpet at 13, he started taking lessons from Joseph Gustat, first chair of the St. Louis Orchestra. At the age of 16, Miles began taking gigs in St Louis, and he spent most of his time there. During this time period, Miles made up to $125 a week, which is pretty good for a 16-year old.

Early Adulthood In 1944, Miles began his music career by studying the art at the Juilliard School of New York City. Miles only stayed for one year at the school, as he wanted to start performing Jazz to live audiences and to make recordings. In 1945, he made his first commercial recordings with Herbie Fields, a Tenor Saxophonist.