“THE BIRD”, CHARLIE PARKER

Charlie Parker, best known as "The Bird," was one of the most famous saxophonists ever. He developed his career over almost 2 decades and during this time, he couldn't overcome his addiction to drugs and alcohol. Especially hard was his fight against heroin. A great jazz musician, Parker made records and had legendary collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie. In fact, both musicians traveled throughout the U.S., and performed in Carnegie Hall in 1947. Around this time, they made a band with five members, among them a young Miles Davis. After that, Charlie Parker went to Europe, and did recordings with saxophone and strings. His best years were from 1947 to 1951, but in 1951,he couldn't play in cabarets anymore because of his addiction to heroin. Moreover, his daughter died of pneumonia because Parker didn't have enough money to give her adequate medical treatment. These two events caused in him a deep depression. After two suicide attempts, Parker died of a heart attack in 1954.