spinning the story of Dizzy: Cheraw is the birthplace of a jazz Legend
Who knew that the late, great Dizzy Gillespie was born here in Cheraw? Born as John Birks Gillespie in 1917, Dizzy was the youngest of nine children. It seems that musical talent was hereditary, as his father was a local bandleader in Cheraw, and Dizzy started playing piano at age 4.
The Gillespie family attended Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church on Greene Street. Dizzy loved the movies as a child; so much so that he became a pro at sneaking into the Lyric Theater to see the shows and the theater manager gave him the job of keeping the other kids from doing the same. His pay: free movies. The original theater, built in 1920, was later renovated and is now known as The Theater on the Green and used for live performances.
Unfortunately, Gillespie’s father died when he was 10 years old, but it was just the start of the path to Gillespie’s musical stardom. He taught himself how to play the trombone and trumpet by the age of 12 and, after he heard the amazing jazz trumpet skills of Roy “Little Jazz” Eldridge on the radio one night, he knew he wanted to be a jazz musician, too.
The rest, as they say, is history. Gillespie won a music scholarship to the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina, where he was a student for two years before he and his family moved to Philadelphia in 1935. Soon after, he joined the Frank Fairfax Orchestra, followed by the orchestras led by Edgar Hayes and Teddy Hill, as second trumpet; it was with Teddy Hill’s band that he made his first recording, “King Porter Stomp,” in 1937.
That same year, Gillespie met Lorraine Willis, a young dancer on tour, and it was love at first sight, at least for Gillespie. They married on May 9, 1940, and would remain together until Gillespie’s death in 1993. Willis also served as his business manager. The couple never had children, but Gillespie had a daughter, jazz singer Jeannie Bryson, in 1958 from an affair with songwriter and Juilliard-trained pianist Connie Bryson.
Described as the “sound of surprise,” Gillespie is not only known as one of the greatest American jazz trumpeters of all time, but also as a bandleader, composer, educator, and singer. His signature ballooned cheeks as he blew into his trumpet, horn-rimmed glasses and beret, and sharp wit were only just a few of the elements of this legend. The trumpet virtuoso and improvisor was one of bebop’s most popular pioneers, weaving together both harmonic and rhythmic complexities that were brand new to the jazz genre and combining musicianship and showmanship.
From the early 1940s and in the decades to follow, Gillespie would play with orchestras led by Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billy Eckstine, and alongside fellow band members Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke and Oscar Pettiford. Hit compositions include “Groovin’ High,” “A Night in Tunisia,” “Woody ’n’ You,” and more. From his big band, which headlined the 1946 film, “Jivin’ in Be-Bop,” to his small band combos, including ones with Milt Jackson, John Coltrane and more, Gillespie and his talent were always front and center on stages across the country and around the world – whether it was be-bop or Afro Cuban jazz, a movement he was also involved with.
Gillespie’s legacy and influence can be seen and heard in a lineage of jazz trumpeters, including Miles Davis, Jon Faddis and Fats Navarro. In 1990, Gillespie received the National Medal of the Arts, the highest award an American artist can receive. He was also honored by the Kennedy Center for his contributions to the performing arts.
On November 26, 1992, Carnegie Hall celebrated Gillespie’s 75th birthday, but he was too unwell to attend. He would pass away a few months later on January 6, 1993, from pancreatic cancer. He was buried in Flushing Cemetery in Queens.
Today, the Dizzy Gillespie Birthplace Park at 337 Huger St. marks the site of his birthplace in Cheraw, featuring sculptures and park benches to commemorate his life. There is also a statue of Gillespie on the Cheraw Town Green on Market Street.
The 2021 South Carolina Jazz Festival in Cheraw to celebrate Dizzy’s 104th birthday is coming up soon, Oct. 10-17. Visit https://scjazzfestival.com/# for more info and updates.
