Wynton Kelly

Jazz pianist Wynton Kelly's life was short, but the years he did have were filled with jazz and blues and countless collaborations with some of the great musicians. At the age of 16 Kelly played piano on Hal Singer's number one hit 'Cornbread'. This propelled the young pianist into the limelight and he recorded several tracks with singer Babs Gonzales, Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis and Hot Lips Page. His most well known work came in 1951 when he began playing in Dinah Washington's band. This position enhanced his reputation and he was soon playing with Lester Young and Dizzy Gillespie. His music career came to a halt in '52 when he was drafted into the army.

After serving for two years, Kelly returned home and picked up where he left off, playing for Gillespie and Washington in their respective bands. He recorded with Billie Holiday in '56, most famously on the track 'Lady Sings the Blues'. As his standing in the industry gained momentum, Kelly found himself one of the most in-demand pianists in America. He began his most famous working relationship in 1959 with Miles Davis when he filled in for Davis' pianist Red Garland who was late for a gig. Davis replaced Garland with Kelly and they worked together for four years, putting out albums 'Kind of Blue' and 'Someday My Prince Will Come'. He continued to perform with other band leaders including Wayne Shorter and Cannonball Adderley and recorded 'Full House' with guitarist Wes Montgomery.

In 1971, Kelly travelled from New York to Toronto for a gig with George Reed and Herb Marshall. He had a history of epilepsy and on the night on April 12th he had an epileptic seizure in his hotel room and was discovered dead by Marshall some time later. He was 39-years-old.