John Coltrane Bio
Born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 23, 1926, John Coltrane grew up in racially segregated High Point. Shortly after he graduated from grammar school in 1939, his closely knit family was devastated by the deaths of the family patriarch Reverend William Blair, as well as his father and an uncle. This left him in the care of his mother who supported the family by working as a domestic, his aunt and his cousin. Around this time, Coltrane dedicated himself to his clarinet which he practiced and played obsessively. Later, after developing an interest in jazz, he switched to the alto sax.
To find work, Coltrane's mother, aunt, and cousin headed north to New Jersey leaving John with family friends. After completing high school, Coltrane moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was, eventually, reunited with his family.
He then served a brief stint in the navy during which he performed with the navy band. It was during this time that he made his first known recording with a quartet of other sailors on July 13, 1946 - a performance of Tadd Dameron's "Hot House."¹
¹ Ace's Bio-Farm.
John Coltrane Quotes
"I've always felt that even though a man was not a Christian, he still has to know the truth some way or another... The truth itself doesn't have any name on it and each man has to find this for himself." ~ John Coltrane
"So I haven't reached this point yet to where the piano is a drag to me to that degree. Only thing, we don't follow what the piano does anymore because we all movin' (in) our own directions." ~ John Coltrane
"It's just one of those things, anything that they haven't heard yet and is a little different - they're goin' to reject it at first. But the tide - it will roll around - the time (will come) when they will like it." ~ John Coltrane
"I don't care too much for the playing in clubs consistently. There was a time when this felt alright to me, because with my music I felt I had to play a lot to work it out. But now I don't think that was absolutely where it was at, but I had to find that out myself." ~ John Coltrane
