11 Facts About Donald Byrd

Donald Byrd's father, Elijah Thomas Byrd, was a Methodist minister who greatly valued education and oversaw his son's schooling.

Donald Byrd performed with Lionel Hampton before finishing high school.

Donald Byrd's first regular group was a quintet that he co-led from 1958 to 1961 with baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams.

Hancock has credited Donald Byrd as a key influence in his early career, recounting that Donald Byrd took the young pianist "under his wing" when he was a struggling musician newly arrived in New York, even letting him sleep on a hide-a-bed in his Bronx apartment for several years.

Donald Byrd was the first person to let me be a permanent member of an internationally known band.

Hancock recalled that Donald Byrd helped him in many other ways: he encouraged Hancock to make his debut album for Blue Note, connected him with Mongo Santamaria, who turned Hancock's tune "Watermelon Man" into a chart-topping hit, and that Donald Byrd later urged him to accept Miles Davis' offer to join his quintet.

In June 1964, Donald Byrd played with Eric Dolphy in Paris only two weeks before Dolphy died from insulin shock.

Donald Byrd teamed up with the Mizell Brothers for Black Byrd which was, for many years, Blue Note's best-selling album.

In 1973, he helped to establish and co-produce the Blackbyrds, a fusion group consisting of then-student musicians from Howard University, where Donald Byrd taught in the music department and earned his JD in 1976.

Donald Byrd returned to somewhat straight-ahead jazz later in his career, recording three albums for Orrin Keepnews' Landmark Records.

Donald Byrd died on February 4,2013, in Dover, Delaware, at age 80.