Sun Ra
1914 – 1993

Sun Ra

American jazz composer and bandleader (1914–1993)

jazz musiciansynthesizer playerphilosopherkeyboardistbandleader
Born
1914-05-22, Birmingham
Died
1993-05-30
Birthplace state
Alabama

Biography

Le Sony'r Ra, better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific output, and theatrical performances. For much of his career, Ra led The Arkestra, an ensemble with an ever-changing name and flexible line-up.

Occupation

Sun Ra is recorded as a jazz musician, a synthesizer player, a philosopher, a keyboardist, a bandleader, a music arranger, a instrumentalist, a music director, a pianist, a conductor, a poet, a writer, a composer and a actor, born in Alabama (1914–1993).

Connections to Alabama

Sun Ra was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914. Explore other notable figures from Alabama, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

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The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
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More notable figures from Alabama

Other historical figures born in Alabama, ranked by historical prominence.

Helen Keller
Helen Keller
American deafblind author, political activist, lecturer, scholar (1880-1968)
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
civil rights activist
Harper Lee
Harper Lee
American novelist (1926–2016)
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
American track and field athlete (1913–1980)
Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
American singer and jazz pianist (1919–1965)
Edward O. Wilson
Edward O. Wilson
American biologist, naturalist, and writer (1929–2021)
Louise Fletcher
Louise Fletcher
American actress (1934–2022)

Frequently asked about Sun Ra

Who was Sun Ra?
Sun Ra was American jazz composer and bandleader (1914–1993), born in Alabama (1914 – 1993).
When and where was Sun Ra born?
Sun Ra was born on 1914-05-22 in Birmingham.
When did Sun Ra die?
Sun died on 1993-05-30.
What was Sun Ra known for?
Sun Ra is recorded as a jazz musician, a synthesizer player, a philosopher, a keyboardist, a bandleader, a music arranger, a instrumentalist, a music director, a pianist, a conductor, a poet, a writer, a composer and a actor.
Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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