Miles Davis was a major force in the jazz world. In fact, Rolling Stone described him as "the most revered jazz trumpeter of all time."

Davis earned the nickname "Prince of Darkness" due to his serious, aloof nature, the brooding tone of his trumpet, and his habit of turning his back to the audience when he performed.

He studied at the Juilliard School in New York City, before dropping out and making his professional debut as a member of saxophonist Charlie Parker's bebop quintet.

In the 1940s, Dizzy Gillespie was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including Davis, who replaced him in the quintet.

Miles Dewey Davis III was born on May 26, 1926, to an affluent African-American family in Alton, Illinois.

According to Davis "By the age of 12, music had become the most important thing in my life." On his thirteenth birthday his father bought him a new trumpet, and Davis began to play in local bands.

While he was touring with Billie Holiday, Miles was arrested for heroin possession in Los Angeles. The story was reported in DownBeat magazine, which made it difficult for him to find work.

A widely related story, attributed to Richard "Prophet" Jennings, was that Davis once stumbled into Baker's Keyboard Lounge out of the rain, carrying his trumpet in a paper bag under his coat. He walked to the bandstand, interrupted Max Roach and Clifford Brown in the middle of performing "Sweet Georgia Brown", and played "My Funny Valentine" before leaving. According to some sources, Davis was embarrassed into getting clean by this incident, but he disputed the account, stating that Roach had invited him to play and that his decision to quit heroin was unrelated. He said he was inspired to quit by his idol, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.

Davis accused Thelonious Monk of not knowing the chords, and his rage escalated to the point where he dismissed Monk as being a "non-musician". Ironically, Monk's improvisational style would help him become one of just five jazz musicians to ever make the cover of Time magazine--something that Davis never did.

Early in his career, Davis developed a musical group comprised of nine musicians. Rare among jazz groups, the Miles Davis Nonet included the French horn and the tuba amongst its instruments.