Pat Metheny was born in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, a Kansas City suburb, on August 12, 1954. He started playing the trumpet when he was 8.  At 12, he switched to guitar. He was playing professional gigs in Kansas City by the time he was 15.

Metheny briefly attended the University of Miami. After his first semester, he was offered a teaching position there. At 18, he was the youngest person to ever teach at the university. By 19, he was teaching at the Berklee College of Music, making him the youngest teacher there.

In 1974, Metheny became internationally known when he started touring with Gary Burton. Metheny’s first album Bright Size Life featuring Jaco Pastorius was released in 1975.

Here is a 2006 performance of “Bright Size Life” with Richard Bona.