MUSICIAN

Dizzy Gillespie

1917 - 1993

Photo of Dizzy Gillespie

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John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( gil-ESP-ee; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but adding layers of harmonic and rhythmic complexity previously unheard in jazz. His combination of musicianship, showmanship, and wit made him a leading popularizer of the new music called bebop. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Dizzy Gillespie has received more than 3,337,444 page views. His biography is available in 59 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 58 in 2019). Dizzy Gillespie is the 151st most popular musician (down from 141st in 2019), the 887th most popular biography from United States (down from 817th in 2019) and the 41st most popular American Musician.

Dizzy Gillespie is most famous for his contributions to jazz music. He was a trumpeter and composer who was known for his virtuosity and creativity. He was one of the first jazz musicians to use Afro-Cuban rhythms and he was a pioneer in the development of bebop.

Memorability Metrics

  • 3.3M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 63.45

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 59

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.17

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.79

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Dizzy Gillespie ranks 151 out of 3,175. Before him are Ray Manzarek, Benny Goodman, Chris Slade, Tony Iommi, Hans von Bülow, and Compay Segundo. After him are Ravi Shankar, Andrés Segovia, James Last, James Hetfield, Don Shirley, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1917, Dizzy Gillespie ranks 33. Before him are Bourvil, Robert Burns Woodward, Nur Muhammad Taraki, Rochus Misch, Sven Hassel, and Tove Ditlevsen. After him are John B. Calhoun, John Lee Hooker, Fernando Rey, Herbert A. Hauptman, Kiro Gligorov, and John Kendrew. Among people deceased in 1993, Dizzy Gillespie ranks 26. Before him are Polykarp Kusch, Kōbō Abe, Bill Bixby, Wolfgang Paul, Brandon Lee, and Félix Houphouët-Boigny. After him are Joseph L. Mankiewicz, W. Edwards Deming, Lillian Gish, Cantinflas, Arthur Ashe, and Robert W. Holley.

Others Born in 1917

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Others Deceased in 1993

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Dizzy Gillespie ranks 887 out of 20,380. Before him are Linda Hamilton (1956), John L. Hall (1934), John Clauser (1942), Michelle Obama (1964), Clifford Geertz (1926), and Winona Ryder (1971). After him are Murray Gell-Mann (1929), Carole Lombard (1908), John Holmes (1944), Courteney Cox (1964), Leon Uris (1924), and Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888).

Others born in United States

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Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Dizzy Gillespie ranks 41. Before him are Nat King Cole (1919), Buddy Holly (1936), Nikki Sixx (1958), Bill Evans (1929), Ray Manzarek (1939), and Benny Goodman (1909). After him are James Hetfield (1963), Don Shirley (1927), Jerry Lee Lewis (1935), Keith Jarrett (1945), Chick Corea (1941), and Ritchie Valens (1941).

American born Musicians

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