Sun Ra

Full Name: Herman Poole Blount

Born: May 22, 1914? – May 30, 1993

Home: Philadelphia, PA / Saturn, Milky Way Galaxy

Website Link(s): Official Arkestra Site

Instrument(s)

 * Piano
 * Synthesizer

Genre(s)

 * Jazz
 * Experimental
 * R&B
 * Funk
 * Soul
 * Bebop
 * Swing
 * Free Jazz

Label(s)

 * Transition
 * Delmark
 * Saturn
 * Evidence
 * Enja
 * Leo
 * ESP-Disk
 * Ihnfinity
 * Impulse!

RIYL

 * The Residents
 * George Clinton
 * MC5
 * Yo La Tengo
 * Sunn 0)))
 * DEVO

Has Notably Worked with

 * Wynonie Harris
 * Fletcher Henderson
 * Coleman Hawkins
 * Stuff Smith
 * Marshall Allen
 * Ronnie Boykins
 * Tony Bunn
 * James Jacson
 * Phil Cohran
 * Eddie Gale
 * John Gilmore
 * Eloe Omoe
 * Pat Patrick
 * Julian Priester
 * Michael Ray
 * June Tyson
 * Tommy Bugs Hunter
 * Darryl Brown
 * Donald Jones
 * Francisco Mora Catlett
 * Pharoah Sanders

Musician Biography
One of the most influential experimental musicians, Sun Ra came from Saturn to help the human race, in particular black people, to find their way. He left this plane in 1993, though his Arkestra lives on. He released many, many albums in all sorts of genres, though typically jazz. He was one of the first people to embrace the synthesizer, and was given a prototype Minimoog by Robert Moog himself, which Sun Ra immediately incorporated into his performances. =Discography=

Albums

 * Came Down To Earth
 * Greatest Hits - Easy Listening
 * The Singles
 * Spaceship Lullaby
 * Deep Purple
 * Dreams Come True
 * Standards
 * Sun Song
 * Jazz By Sun Ra
 * Jazz In Transition
 * Angels & Demons At Play
 * Super Sonic Jazz
 * Super Sonic Sounds
 * Sound Of Joy
 * Jazz In Silhouette
 * Sound Sun Pleasure!!
 * Visits Planet Earth
 * We Travel The Spaceways
 * The Nubians Of Plutonia
 * Lady With The Golden Stockings
 * Interstellar Low Ways
 * Rocket Number Nine
 * Fate In A Pleasant Mood
 * Music From Tomorrow's World
 * Holiday For Soul Dance
 * The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra
 * We Are In The Future
 * Bad & Beautiful
 * Art Forms For Dimensions Tomorrow
 * Secrets Of The Sun
 * The Invisible Shield
 * Janus
 * Satellites Are Outerspace...
 * A Tonal View Of Times Tomorrow, Vol. 2
 * What's New?
 * When Sun Comes Out
 * When Angels Speak Of Love
 * Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy
 * Other Planes Of There
 * Strange Strings
 * Featuring Pharaoh Sanders & Black Harold
 * The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra, V. 1
 * Other Worlds
 * Cosmic Equation
 * The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra, V. 2
 * The Sun Myth
 * The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra, V. 3
 * The Magic City
 * Impressions Of A Patch Of Blue
 * Nothing Is
 * Heliocentric Worlds, V. 3
 * Dancing Shadows
 * Monorails & Satellites
 * Monorails & Satellites, V. 2
 * Outer Spaceways, Incorporated
 * A Tonal View Of Times Tomorrow, V. 3
 * Atlantis
 * Pictures Of Infinity
 * A Black Mass
 * Continuation
 * My Brother The Wind, V.2
 * Otherness
 * My Brother The Wind
 * The Night Of The Purple Moon
 * Out There A Minute
 * Space Probe
 * The Solar-Myth Approach
 * The Solar-Myth Approach, V.2
 * Nuits De La Fondation Maeght, V.1
 * Nuits De La Fondation Maeght, V.2
 * Out In Space
 * Black Myth
 * It's After The End Of The World
 * Calling Planet Earth
 * Dark Myth Equation Visitation
 * Live In Egypt
 * Nature's God
 * Horizon
 * Starsnatchers
 * Nidhamu
 * Universe In Blue
 * Soundtrack To The Film Space Is The Place
 * Astro Black
 * Friendly Love
 * Crystal Spears
 * Cymbals
 * The Great Lost Sun Ra Albums
 * Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival 1972
 * Life Is Splendid
 * Discipline 27-II
 * Space Is The Place
 * Outer Space Employment Agency
 * What Planet Is This?
 * Live At The Gibus
 * T's Forbidden
 * Pathways To Unknown Worlds
 * Concert For Comet Kohoutek
 * Celebrations For Dial Tunes
 * Out Beyond The Kingdomn Of
 * Discipline 99
 * The Antique Blacks
 * Interplanetary Concepts
 * There Is A Change In The Air
 * Sub Underground
 * Cosmo-Earth Fantasy
 * Temple U
 * Live At Montreux
 * Cosmos
 * A Quiet Place In The Universe
 * Solo Piano, V.1
 * St. Louis Blues
 * Solo Piano, V.2
 * Somewhere Over The Rainbow
 * We Live To Be
 * Some Blues But Not The Kind That's Blue
 * Nature Boy
 * My Favorite Things
 * The Soul Vibrations Of Man
 * Taking A Chance On Chances
 * Unity
 * Piano Recital - Teatro La Fenice, Venezia
 * New Steps
 * Other Voices, Other Blues
 * Media Dreams
 * Saturn Research
 * Disco 3000
 * Visions
 * Lanquidity
 * Sound Mirror
 * Live In Philadelphia '78
 * The Other Side Of The Sun
 * God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be
 * Days Of Happiness
 * Blythe Spirit Dance
 * Trio
 * Omniverse
 * Song Of The Stargazers
 * On Jupiter
 * Seductive Fantasy
 * Sleeping Beauty
 * Door Of The Cosmos
 * Live From Soundscape
 * Of Mythic Worlds
 * Strange Celestial Road
 * I, Pharaoh
 * Sunrise In Different Dimensions
 * Voice Of The Eternal Tomorrow
 * The Rose Hue Mansions Of The Sun
 * Aurora Borealis
 * Ra Rachmaninov
 * Beyond The Purple Star Zone
 * Immortal Being
 * God's Private Eye
 * Dance Of Innocent Passion
 * Oblique Parallex
 * Journey Stars Beyond
 * A Fireside Chat With Lucifer
 * Celestial Love
 * Nuclear War
 * Ra To The Rescue
 * Just Friends
 * Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab In Egypt
 * Sun Rise In Egypt Vols. 1, 2 And 3
 * Hiroshima
 * Stars That Shine Darkly, V.1
 * Outer Reach Intensity-Energy
 * Stars That Shine Darkly, V.2
 * Love In Outer Space: Live In Utrecht
 * Live At Praxis 84, V.1
 * Live At Praxis 84, V.2
 * Live At Praxis 84, V.3
 * When Spaceships Appear
 * Children Of The Sun
 * Cosmo-Party Blues
 * Cosmo Sun Connection
 * John Cage Meets Sun Ra
 * A Night In East Berlin
 * Reflections In Blue
 * Hours After
 * Bratislava Jazz Days
 * Hidden Fire 1
 * Hidden Fire 2
 * Live At Pitt Inn
 * Cosmo Omnibus Imagiable Illusion
 * Somewhere Else
 * Blue Delight
 * Second Star To The Right: (Salute To Walt Disney)
 * Stardust From Tomorrow
 * Astral Planes & New Moonbeams (Live In Atlanta)
 * Purple Night
 * Live In London 1990
 * Beets: A Collection Of Jazz Songs
 * Mayan Temples
 * Pleiades
 * Live At The Hackney Empire
 * Friendly Galaxy
 * At The Village Vanguard
 * Destination Unknown