12 Facts About Howard McGhee

Howard McGhee was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman.

Howard McGhee was known for his fast fingering and high notes.

Howard McGhee had an influence on younger bebop trumpeters such as Fats Navarro.

Howard McGhee was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, and raised in Detroit, Michigan.

Howard McGhee was in a club listening to the radio when he first heard Charlie Parker and was one of the earliest adopters of the new style, a fact that was disapproved by older musicians like Kid Ory.

Around this time, Howard McGhee was a leading musician in the Los Angeles bebop scene, participating in many concerts, recording, and even managing a night club for a period.

Howard McGhee's stay in California ended because of racial prejudice, particularly vicious towards McGhee as half of a mixed-race couple.

Howard McGhee's career sputtered again in the mid-1960s and he did not record again until 1976.

Howard McGhee led one of three big jazz bands trying to succeed in New York in the late 1960s.

Howard McGhee taught music through the 1970s, both in classrooms and at his apartment in midtown Manhattan and instructed musicians like Charlie Rouse in music theory.

Howard McGhee was as much an accomplished composer-arranger as he was a performer.

Howard McGhee died on July 17,1987, at the age of 69, a memorial service was held for him on July 24,1987.