Miles Davis – Biography and History
Miles Dewey Davis III was born on May 26, 1926, in Alton, Illinois, and grew up in East St. Louis, Missouri. His father was a prosperous dental surgeon, which afforded Davis a comfortable upbringing. At the age of 13, Davis received his first trumpet, a gift from his father, and began taking private lessons with Elwood Buchanan, a teacher who discouraged the vibrato style common among trumpeters of that time. Buchanan’s influence shaped Davis’s distinct playing style, characterized by a clear and pure tone.