Miles Davis was born on May 26, 1926. He grew up in a well-to-do family in East St. Louis. His father was a dentist. The family lived on a ranch and they had horses. (How lucky is that! All I ever wanted as a little girl was a pony.)

He started playing trumpet when he was 13. Davis loved jazz, especially Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. His parents sent him to Juliard to study music but he spent more time pursuing Charlie Parker than attending classes. He eventually dropped out and started playing in Charlie Parker’s quintet.