Charles
Christopher
"Charlie, Bird, Yardbird"
Parker
Jr.
Born in Kansas City, Wyandotte, Kansas, United States
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of
Beverly Delores (Berg) Woods
— married
[date unknown] [location unknown]
Husband of
Rebecca Ellen (Ruffin) Parker
— married
25 Jul 1936 in Jackson, Missouri, United States
Died
at age 34
in New York City, New York, United States
Profile managers:
US Black Heritage Project WikiTree 
[send private message] and J. Salsbery [send private message]
[send private message] and J. Salsbery [send private message]Profile last modified
| Created 22 Nov 2015
This page has been accessed 1,673 times.
| Charles Parker Jr. is a part of US Black history. Join: US Black Heritage Project Discuss: black_heritage |
Biography
Charles Parker Jr. is Notable.
Charlie Parker Jr. was a legendary Grammy Award–winning jazz saxophonist who, with Dizzy Gillespie, invented the musical style called bop or bebop.[1]
He was born in Kansas City, Kansas, on August 29, 1920,[2] the only child of Charles Parker Sr. and Addie Bailey. His father was an African-American stage entertainer, and his mother was a maid-charwoman of Native-American heritage. Charlie moved with his parents to Kansas City, Missouri when he was seven years old. At the time, the city was a lively center for African-American music, including jazz, blues and gospel.
Parker was a highly influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique and improvisation. Parker introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. His tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber. Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career. This and its shortened form, "Bird" continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspiring the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "Bird Gets the Worm", and "Bird of Paradise." Parker was an icon for the hipster subculture and later the Beat Generation, personifying the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just an entertainer.
In 1936, he married his childhood sweetheart, Rebecca Ruffin.[3]
He died on March 12, 1955, in New York City[4] and is buried in Lincoln Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.[5]
Sources
- ↑ Charlie Parker at Wikipedia
- ↑ Military:
"U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947"
National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2238 #195284295
Name: Charles Parker; Gender: Male; Race: Negro (Black); Age: 21; Birth Date: 29 Aug 1920; Birth Place: Kansas City, Kansas; Registration Date: 16 Feb 1942; Registration Place: New York City, New York; Employer: J McShann; Height: 5 6; Weight: 176; Complexion: Dark brown; Hair Color: Brown; Eye Color: Brown; Next of Kin: Rebecca Wife. - ↑
Marriage:
"Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002"
Missouri State Archives; Jefferson City, MO, USA; Missouri Marriage Records [Microfilm]
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1171 #2127163
Charles Parker Jr (20) marriage to Rebecca Ruffin on 25 Jul 1936 in Jackson, Missouri, USA. - ↑
Death:
"New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965"
New York City Department of Health, courtesy of www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com. Digital Images
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61461 #1748179
Charles Parker death 12 Mar 1955 (age 34) in Manhattan, New York, New York, USA. - ↑
Memorial:
Find a Grave (has image)
Find A Grave: Memorial #1426
Memorial page for Charlie “Bird” Parker Famous memorial (29 Aug 1920-12 Mar 1955), citing Lincoln Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
- 1925 Census: "Kansas, U.S., State Census Collection, 1855-1925"
Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1925 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: KS1925_171; Line: 30
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1088 #9308411
Charles Parker (4), single son, in household of Charles Parker (37) in Kansas City, Wyandotte, Kansas. Born in Kansas.
See also:
Is Charles your ancestor? Please don't go away!
Login to collaborate or comment, or
contact
a profile manager, or
ask our community of genealogists a question.
Login to collaborate or comment, or contact
a profile manager, or ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com
DNA
No known carriers of Charles's DNA have taken a DNA test. Have you taken a test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
No known carriers of Charles's DNA have taken a DNA test. Have you taken a test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
P > Parker > Charles Christopher Parker Jr.
Categories: Songwriters | US Black Heritage Project, Needs Profiles Created | USBH Notables, Needs Connection | USBH Notables, Needs More Sources | USBH Notables, Needs Biography | Persons Appearing on US Postage Stamps | Grammy Award Winners of the 20th Century | Jazz Musicians | Saxophonists | Lincoln Cemetery, Kansas City, Missouri | US Black Heritage Project Managed Profiles | African-American Notables | Notables
"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHFW-LVK : accessed 1 September 2020), Charles Parker Jr. in household of Charles Parker, Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 86, sheet 8A, line 10, family 195, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1195; FHL microfilm 2,340,930.
"United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5QR-SXMN : 18 July 2020), Charley Yardbird Parker, 1955.