John Coltrane

Background

John William Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926, in his parent’s apartment at 200 Hamlet Avenue in Hamlet, North Carolina. He grew up in High Point, North Carolina, and attended William Penn High School. In December 1938, Coltrane’s father, aunt, and grandparents died within a few months, nearly leaving him orphaned. He was raised by his mother and a close cousin. A few years later, in June 1943, he moved to Philadelphia, and in September, his mother bought him his first saxophone. Coltrane played clarinet and the alto horn in a community band before beginning alto saxophone in high school.

To avoid being drafted into the army, Coltrane enlisted in the Navy on August 6, 1945. He was trained as an apprentice seaman at Sampson Naval Training Station in upstate New York before being shipped to Pearl Harbor, where he was stationed at Manana Barracks. By the time he reached Hawaii, his musical talent was recognized. He became one of the few Navy men to serve as a musician without being granted a musician’s rating when entering the Navy’s swing band titled “The Melody Masters.” The Melody Masters were an all-white band, and Coltrane was treated merely as a guest performer. But by the end of his service, he had assumed a leadership role and led the band’s first recordings in Hawaii on July 13, 1946.

In 1961, Coltrane’s contract with Atlantic was bought by Impulse! Records. He recorded most of his albums for Impulse! Records at music engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. During his later years, Coltrane showed an interest in the avant-garde jazz of Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, and Ornette Coleman. He also championed many young free jazz musicians like Archie Shepp.