Sun Ra
Sun Ra was born Herman Poole Blount on May 22, 1914 in Birmingham Alabama and was regarded as a skilled pianist and composer by his early teenage years. Although Blount based his musical activities in Birmingham until 1945, his big band toured extensively, playing Chicago in 1934 where he registered with the local musicians union under the name Sonny Blount. Blount read extensively, researching mystical and occult practices, ancient culture, biblical history, and contemporary developments in science and space exploration. During 1942-1943 he was imprisoned for draft resistance prior to being released with a 4-F classification.
In the winter of 1946 Blount migrated to Chicago, settling near Washington Park. Although regarded as eccentric by some, Blount was a respected and studied musician and was regularly employed as a pianist, composer, and arranger in the vibrant south side music scene. During the early 1950s he began rehearsing his own groups, ultimately leading to the 1955 creation of the Arkestra, the large ensemble he directed until his death in 1993. In October 1952 Blount legally changed his name to "Le Sony’r Ra" at the Circuit Court of Cook County, with "Sun Ra" serving thereafter as an abbreviated version of his new name.
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| Publication Date | Publishing Account | Status | Note | View |
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2022-05-25 01:05:59 pm |
Eden Orelove |
published |
User published constellation |
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2022-05-06 02:05:35 pm |
Eden Orelove |
published |
User published constellation |
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2016-08-16 11:08:00 pm |
System Service |
published |
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2016-08-16 11:08:00 pm |
System Service |
ingest cpf |
Initial ingest from EAC-CPF |
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