Sun Ra

Born Herman Blount in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914, Sun Ra discarded his given name and every earthly claim that came with it, insisting for the rest of his life that he had arrived from Saturn on a philosophical mission. His output — stretching from post-war bebop and swing through free jazz, space jazz, and early synthesizer experimentation — spanned hundreds of albums recorded across four decades with his ever-mutating ensemble, the Arkestra. The costumes were theatrical to the point of ceremony; the performances were rituals as much as concerts. He left the planet in 1993, but the Arkestra, still performing under Marshall Allen's leadership, has never stopped.