About
Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader known for his remarkable ability to hit high notes. He became leader of the Birdland Dream Band in 1956. He lived with Timothy Leary for a time in the early 1960s, experimenting with a variety of psychedelic drugs.
Before Fame
He first played the piano and violin as a child before finding interest in brass instruments. His first solo performance was for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra, where he was billed as a child prodigy. He garnered fame as part of Stan Kenton's orchestra.
Trivia
He was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1992.
Family Life
He was born to two musicians. He fathered three daughters, Corby, Wilder, and Lisa, with his wife Flo Ferguson.
Associated With
He and Miles Davis were contemporaries and were both jazz trumpeters and bandleaders.
