Sun Ra

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Le Sony's Baby (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993) better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, as well as a writer known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific output, and theatrical performances.

Ra led "The Arkestra," an ensemble with a constantly changing name and a flexible lineup for a good portion of his career. Blount, a born and raised in Alabama, became active in the Chicago jazz scene in the late 1940s.

He quickly dropped his birth name, shortened to Sun Ra (after Ra, the Egyptian God of the Sun)).

He fashioned a complex personality and a mythosyncratic, myth-based credo that would make him a pioneer of Afrofuturism.

He appeared to be an alien from Saturn on a mission to preach peace, and throughout his life he denied any similarities to his prior occupation, from ragtime and early New Orleans hot jazz to swing music, bebop, free jazz, and fusion.

His compositions ranged from keyboard solos to large bands of over 30 players, as well as electronic excursions, songs, chanting, and anthems.

Ra's band The Arkestra (which showcased musicians such as Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, and June Tyson through its various iterations from the mid-1950s to his death) was from the mid-1950s to the end of his life.

Dancers and musicians dressed in elaborate, futuristic costumes influenced by ancient Egyptian attire and the Space Age were often included in its performances.

(Following Ra's illness-forced departure in 1992, the band remained active as The Sun Ra Arkestra, and as of 2018, the group is still performing under veteran Ra sideman Marshall Allen's leadership. (Though his mainstream fame was limited, Sun Ra was a prolific recording artist and frequent live performer, and he maintained his fame for his music and persona throughout his life.

He is now widely recognized as an innovator, notably for his pioneering contributions to free jazz and modal jazz as well as his early use of electronic keyboards and synthesizers.

He recorded hundreds of singles and over 1,000 full-length albums during his career, making him one of the twentieth century's most prolific recording artists.

Early life

He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 22, 1914, as discovered by his biographer John F. Szwed and published in his 1998 book. He was named after the well-known vainville stage magician Black Herman, who had greatly impressed his mother. He was born "Sonny" from his youth, had an older sister and half-brother, and was adored by his mother and grandmother.

Sun Ra's early life was unheardied for decades, and he contributed to the culture's mystique. He routinely gave evasive, contradictory, or even nonsensical responses to personal questions, and denied his name. He speculated, but only half of it was in doubt, that he was distantly related to Elijah Poole, the Nation of Islam's leader. His birthday in years was uncertain, as his assertions ranged from 1910 to 1918. The date of Sun Ra's birth was still a mystery only a few years before his death. Sun Ra was estimated to be about 75 years old, according to Jim Macnie's notes for Blue Delight (1989). But Szwed was able to find a wealth of details about his early years and reported a birth date of May 22, 1914.

Blount, a young boy, was a natural pianist. He was writing and sight reading music by the age of 11 or 12 years old. Birmingham was a vital stop for touring musicians, and he encountered well-known artists like Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, and Fats Waller, who have since been forgotten. "The world let down a lot of good musicians," Sun Raonce said.

Blount demonstrated incredible musical ability in his youth, performing at large band concerts and then compiled complete transcriptions of the bands' songs from memory, many times, according to acquaintances. Blount had been performing semi-professionally as a solo pianist or as a member of several ad hoc jazz and R&B ensembles by his mid-teens. He attended Birmingham's segregated Industrial High School (now known as Parker High School), where he studied under music educator John T. "Fess" Whatley, a feared disciplinarian who was widely respected and whose classes produced many professional musicians.

His family was not officially affiliated with any Christian church or sect, although deeply religious. Blount had few or no classmates in high school, but she was remembered as a kind-natured and quiet learner, as an honor roll scholar, and a voracious reader. He used the Black Masonic Lodge in Birmingham as one of the few places in Birmingham where African Americans had unlimited access to books. Its collection on Freemasonry and other esoteric topics left a lasting impression on him.

Blount suffered from cryptorchidism in his teens. It left him with a nearly constant ache that would occasionally flare into severe pain. Blount appeared to be concerned about it, and the illness contributed to his loneliness, according to Szwed.

Blount's first full-time musical job was offered by Ethel Harper, his biology professor from the high school who had arranged a band to pursue a career as a singer in 1934. Blount joined a musicians' trade union and toured with Harper's band members through the Southeast and Midwest. Blount took over leadership of the group when Harper left the group mid-tour to New York (she later appeared in the Ginger Snaps, a modestly wealthy singing group), renaming it the Sonny Blount Orchestra. They toured for several months before finding that it was no longer profitable. Despite the fact that the first installment of the Sonny Blount Orchestra was not financially successful, the band received rave reviews from fans and other musicians. Afterward, Blount began earning a steady income as a guitarist in Birmingham.

Exotic trappings such as vivid lighting and murals with tropical or oasis scenes were common in Birmingham clubs. Some believe that these elements inspired Sun Ra's later stage shows. Black musicians felt a sense of pride and camacity when they were active in the black community, and they were also very popular in the black community. They were supposed to be disciplined and presentable, and they were expected to be able to function in the segregated South. black musicians had a large presence in white society. They appeared often in front of upscale white society audiences (though they were normally forbidden from being in contact with the audience).

Blount received a scholarship at Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University in 1936 thanks to Whatley's intercession. He was a music education major, and he was interested in composition, orchestration, and music theory. After a year, he dropped out.

Blount left college because he had a visionary experience as a college student with a large, long-term influence on him, according to him. Sun Ra said a brilliant light appeared around him in 1936 or 1937, during deep religious repression, and he later said: a brilliant light appeared around him.

Blount said that this event occurred in 1936 or 1937. According to Szwed, the musician's closest associates are unable to date the tale any earlier than 1952. (Blount confirmed that the shooting occurred while he was living in Chicago, where he did not settle until the late 1940s). From the beginning of his life, Sun Ra discussed the vision, with no substantive change. His ride to Saturn took place a full decade before flying saucers became popular with the 1947 reunion of Kenneth Arnold. It was earlier than most public records: about 15 years ago, it was written about contact with benevolent beings; and almost 20 years before Barney and Betty Hill, who recalled sinister UFO abductions. "And if this story is about revisionist autobiography," Sonny was pulling together multiple strains of his life, according to Szwed. With a single act of personal mythology, he was both forecasting his future and describing his history.

Blount became Birmingham's most devoted musician after graduating from college. Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, and Napoleon were all highly prolific cat-nappers, who seldom slept. He converted the first floor of his family's house into a conservatory-workshop, where he wrote songs, transcribed recordings, and chatted about Biblical and esoteric topics with those who were curious.

Blount joined Forbes Piano Company, a privately owned business in Birmingham, as a member of the Forbes Piano Company, a white-owned company. Blount used to play music, swap ideas with workers and clients, or copy sheet music into his notebooks. He formed a new band and, like his old teacher Whatley, insisted on strict daily rehearsals. The new Sonny Blount Orchestra has a reputation as an exciting, disciplined group that can perform in a variety of genres with equal skill.

Blount was sent by a specific service notice in October 1942 that he had been drafted into the Military of the United States. He quickly identified himself as a conscient objector, citing religious objections to war and killing, his financial assistance of his great-aunt Ida, and his persistent hernia. His claim was dismissed by the local draft board. Blount wrote in an appeal to the national draft board that the lack of black men on the draft appeal board "smacks of Hitlerism." Sonny's refusal to join the military greatly embarrassed his family, and several relatives ostracized him. He was eventually approved for alternate service at the Civil Service Camp in Pennsylvania, but he did not turn up on December 8, 1942 as required. He was arrested in Alabama a few weeks after.

Blount said that the alternative service was intolerable in court, and that he questioned the judge on issues of law and biblical interpretation. Blount was breaking the rules and was putting the soldier in danger of being drafted into the United States military, according to the judge. Blount said that if recruited, he would use military arms and preparation to murder the first high-ranking military officer in the country. Blount was sentenced to prison for a pending draft board and CPS decision, but he then said, "I've never seen a nigger like you" before. "No, and you never will," Blount said.

Blount wrote to the United States Marshals Service from the Walker County, Alabama jail in Jasper in January 1943. He said he was suffering a nervous breakdown as a result of detention, that he was suicidal, and that he was terrified of sexual assault on a regular basis. When his conscient objector status was reaffirmed in February 1943, he was taken to Pennsylvania. He did forestry work as a child but was allowed to play piano at night. There, psychotherapists referred to him as "a psychopathic personality [and] sexually perverted] but also as "a well-educated colored intellectual."

Blount was reclassified as 4-F by the draft board in March 1943, causing him to return to Birmingham, dissatisfied and enraged. He formed a new band and began playing professionally. Blount had no reason to remain in Birmingham after his beloved great-aunt Ida died in 1945. He disbanded the band and migrated to Chicago, part of the Second Great Migration, southern African Americans who immigrated north during and after World War II.

Blount's debut on two singles, Dig This Boogie/Lightning Struck the Poorhouse, and My Baby's Baret Drinking By Myself appeared in Chicago, quickly. Also known as Blount's first recorded piano solo, this Boogie was also Boogie's first recorded piano solo. He performed with the locally renowned Lil Green band and appeared in Calumet City strip joints for months.

Blount continued his involvement with the Club DeLisa under new bandleader and composer Fletcher Henderson in August 1946. Henderson had long admired Henderson, but Henderson's fortunes had declined (his band was now made up of middling musicians rather than the stars of earlier years) in large part due to Henderson's long-term injuries from a car accident. Henderson recruited Blount as pianist and arranger, replacing Marl Young. Blount's initials displayed a certain amount of bebop, but the band members resisted the new music despite Henderson's encouragement.

Blount appeared briefly in a trio with saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and violinist Stuff Smith, both leading performers in 1948. There are no known recordings of this trio, but on Sound Sun Pleasure, a home recording of a Blount-Smith duet from 1953 appears, and Sun Ra's last recordings in 1992 was a rare sideman appearance on violinist Billy Bang's Tribute to Stuff Smith.

What he did in Chicago changed Blount's personal outlook in addition to facilitating career advancement. With Black Muslims, Black Hebrews, and others proselytizing, debating, or printing leaflets or books, the city was a hub of African-American political activism and fringe movements, with Black Muslims, Black Hebrews, and others proselytizing, debating, and printing leaflets or books. Blount was absorbed by the city's many ancient Egyptian-styled buildings and monuments. George G.M.'s books inspired him. The Stolen Legacy of James (which argued that classical Greek philosophy had its roots in ancient Egypt) is a book about James Stolen (Japan). According to Blount, African cultures have systematically suppressed and denied African achievements and history.

Blount was leading the Space Trio by 1952 with drummer Tommy "Bugs" Hunter and saxophonist Pat Patrick, two of the country's best musicians he had encountered. They performed often, and Sun Ra began writing more sophisticated songs.

Blount officially changed his name to Le Sony'r Ra on October 20, 1952. Sun Ra said he had always been unsure about his birth name, Blount. It was considered a slave name from a family that was not his. In the process of discovering a new sense of self-awareness and self-confidence, David Martinelli said that his transformation was similar to "Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali [dropping] their slave names.

Patrick and his new wife moved to Florida with his new spouse. John Gilmore (tenor sax) joined the company, and Marshall Allen (alto sax) followed shortly. Patrick was in and out of the group before his death, but Allen and Gilmore were the two most devoted Arkestra members. In fact, Gilmore is often chastised for his ten-year association with Sun Ra when he may have been a good leader in his own right. Both Saxophonist James Spaulding and trombonist Julian Priester performed with Sun Ra in Chicago, and they went on to pursue their own interests. Von Freeman, a Chicago tenor, served with the band in the early 1950s for a short period.

Sun Ra in Chicago met Alton Abraham, a precociously intelligent adolescent with a touch of a kindred spirit. He was the Arkestra's top booster and one of Sun Ra's closest friends. Both men felt like strangers and expressed an interest in esoterica. Abraham's strengths balanced Ra's shortcomings: Sun Ra was somewhat introverted and lacking business sense as a result of his lengthy career. Abraham was outgoing, well-connected, and practical. Abraham became Sun Ra's de facto business manager, suggested musicians for the Arkestra, and added several famous songs to the group's repertoire, despite being a teen. Ra, Abraham, and others formed a sort of book club to exchange ideas and discuss the offbeat topics that had piqued their interest. Several pamphlets and broadsides were distributed by this group expressing their conclusions and beliefs. As The Wisdom of Sun Ra: Sun Ra's Polemical Broadsheets and Streetcorner Leaflets (2006), some of which were collected by critic John Corbett and Anthony Elms.

Sun Ra and Abraham formed an independent record label in the mid-1950s, which was generally known as El Saturn Records. (It had many spelling variations.) Saturn Records released two full-length albums in the 1950s, initially focusing on 45 rpm singles by Sun Ra and artists related to him: Jazz In Silhouette (1959). Producer Tom Wilson was the first to debut a Sun Ra album, through his own label Transition Records in 1957, entitled Jazz by Sun Ra. Sun Ra's first of hundreds of singles as a band-for-hire backed a variety of doo wop and R&B artists during this period; many dozen of them were reissued in a two-CD set called "The Singles," by Evidence Records.

Sun Ra and his crew began to wear outlandish, Egyptian-styled, or science fiction-themed costumes and headdresses in the late 1950s. These costumes demonstrated Sun Ra's fascination with ancient Egypt and the space age, they featured a recognizable uniform for the Arkestra, gave the band a new identity, and comedic relief. (Sun Ra's assertion that avant garde musicians took themselves much too seriously.)

In 1961, Sun Ra and the Arkestra migrated to New York City. Sun Ra and his band members lived communally to save money. Sun Ra was able to order rehearsals on a regular basis and at any time, which was his established habit. Sun Ra's album The Futuristic Sound of Sun Ra was released in New York at this time.

The Arkestra landed a regular Monday night show at Slug's Saloon in March 1966. This was a breakthrough in terms of new audiences and respect. Sun Ra's fame hit a peak early in the 1990s as the beat generation and early followers of psychedelia embraced him. Sun Ra and company appeared at Slug's for audiences that gradually expanded to include music critics and top jazz performers for the next year and a half (and intermittently for another half-decade since). Sun Ra's songs were divided (and hecklers were not uncommon).

Two of bebop's architects received high praise, but not all of them were given a high praise. Dizzy Gillespie, a Trumpeter, gave a few cheers when saying, "Keep it up, Sonny, they tried to do the same shit to me," and pianist Thelonious Monk chastised someone who said Sun Ra was "too far away" by replying, "It swings."

Sun Ra, a member of the Arkestra and Al Kooper's Blues Project, also recorded Batman and Robin under the name The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale in 1966. The album featured mainly instrumental variations on the Batman Theme and public domain classical music, with an uncredited female vocalist performing the "Robin Theme."

Despite their planned financial management, New York's expenses eventually became too costly, prompting the company to move to Philadelphia.

Sun Ra and the Arkestra were relocated to Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood in 1968, when the New York building they were renting was put up for auction. Sun Ra's family lived in Morton Street, which became the Arkestra's headquarters from which he died. The Arkestral Institute of Sun Ra was established in the 1950s. They were soon regarded as good neighbors due to their friendliness, drug-free life, and a closeness with children, except for occasional reports of rehearsals. Danny Ray Thompson, a saxophonist, owned and operated Pharaoh's Den, a neighborhood convenience store. Sun Ra considered it a good omen when lightning struck a tree on their street. From a scorched tree trunk, James Jacson created the Cosmic Infinity Drum. They travelled by train to New York for Slug's Monday night performance and other matters.

Sun Ra became a fixture in Philadelphia, appearing semi-regularly on WXPN radio, giving lectures to community groups, or visiting the city's libraries. The Arkestra performed free Saturday afternoon concerts in a Germantown park near their house in the mid-1970s. Someone stood at the back of the room, selling stacks of unmarked LPs in plain white sleeves pressed from recordings of the band's live performances at mid-1970s shows in Philadelphia nightclubs.

Sun Ra and the Arkestra made their first tour of the US West Coast in late 1968. Reactions were mixed. The Arkestra befuddled hippies who were used to long-form psychedelia like the Grateful Dead. By this time, the performance featured 20-30 musicians, dancers, artists, fire-eaters, and elaborate lighting. A San Jose State College concert was praised by John Burks of Rolling Stone in a positive review. Sun Ra was on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine on April 19, 1969, which introduced his inscrutable gaze to millions of people. Damon Choice, then an art student at San Jose, joined the Arkestra and became its vibraphonist during this tour.

The Arkestra began touring around the world in 1970 with concerts in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. They performed to audiences who had only heard his music on record. Sun Ra continued playing in Europe well into the end of his life. Danny Ray Thompson, the saxophonist, became a de facto tour and company manager during this period, specializing in "no bullshit C.O.D.," meaning taking cash before producing or delivering results.

Sun Ra was selected artist-in-residence at University of California, Berkeley, in early 1971, teaching a course titled The Black Man In the Cosmos. Although few students were enrolled, his classes were often full of curious people from the local area. One half of each class was dedicated to a lecture (complete with handouts and homework assignments), the other half to an Arkestra performance or Sun Ra keyboard solo. The Reading List featured Madame Blavatsky and Henry Dumas' work, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Alexander Hislop's The Book of Oahspe, and several books on Egyptian hieroglyphs, African American folklore, and other subjects.

Sun Ragab and the Arkestra were on tour in Egypt in 1971, at the invitation of drummer Salah Ragab. He returned to Egypt in 1983 and 1984 when he sang with Ragab. Live in Egypt, Nidhamu, Sun Ra Meets Salah Ragab, Egypt Strut, and Horizon are among the recordings released in Egypt.

Producer John Coney, producer Jim Newman, and screenwriter Joshua Smith of San Francisco co-produced an 85-minute feature film entitled Space Is the Place, which stars Sun Ra's Arkestra and a group of actors assembled by the production team in 1972. It was shot in Oakland and San Francisco. The Arkestra's 1975 show concert in Cleveland featured a young Devo as the opening act. Sun Ra and the Arkestra appeared on the television show Saturday Night Live on May 20, 1978 (S3 E20).

Sun Ra and the Arkestra performed as the "house band" at the Squat Theatre in New York City in the fall of 1979, which was the performance venue for the avant-garde Hungarian theater troupe. While the bulk of the cast was away from Europe for the remainder of the season, Janos, the theater's company's manager, converted the venue into a nightclub. Debbie Harry, John Cale and Nico (from Andy Warhol's Factory days), John Lurie and The Lounge Lizards, and other pop and avant-garde performers were among the regulars. Sun Ra was disciplined and drank only club soda at the gigs, but he did not enforce his draconian rules on his musicians. His employees adored his discipline and authority. Sun Ra's soft-spoken and charismatic style made Squat Theater a slew of big band "space" jazz, backed by a floor display of sexy Jupiterettes. He directed when he was mixing three synthesizers at the same time. "Space Is The Place" was the space at Squat in those days.

The Arkestra continued their touring and recording efforts into the 1980s and 1990s.

Sun Ra died after a stroke in 1990, but the Arkestra survived, performing, and leading the parade. He appeared at a few concerts with Sonic Youth, a New York-based rock band. Sun Ra appointed Gilmore to lead the Arkestra when she was too ill to perform and tour. (Gilmore was frail from emphysema, and Allen took over the Arkestra's leadership after his death in 1995.)

Sun Ra returned to Birmingham, Birmingham, with his older sister, Mary Jenkins, who (along with several Blount cousins) as his caretaker in late 1992. He was admitted to Princeton Baptist Medical Center in January, suffering from congestive heart disease, respiratory arrest, strokes, circulatory abnormalities, and other common disorders. He died in the hospital on May 30, 1993, and was buried at the Elmwood Cemetery. "Herman Sonny Blount aka Le Sony'r Ra" is the footstone.

Source

Early professional career and college

Blount's first full-time musical job was offered by Ethel Harper, his biology teacher from the high school who had formed a band to pursue a career as a guitarist. Blount joined a musicians' union and toured with Harper's band members through the Southeast and Midwest. Blount took over the group's leadership when Harper left the company mid-tour to New York (she later became a member of the modestly successful singing group the Ginger Snaps), renaming it the Sonny Blount Orchestra. They toured for several months before deciding not to function as unprofitable. Despite the fact that the first edition of the Sonny Blount Orchestra was not financially strong, they did get positive feedback from fans and other musicians. Afterward, the Blount family returned to Birmingham for a life as a musician.

Exotic trappings were often found in Birmingham clubs, such as vibrant lighting and murals with tropical or oasis scenes. Sun Ra's later stage shows may have influenced some elements, according to some. Black musicians were given a sense of pride and cohesion, and they were especially prominent in the black community. They were supposed to be disciplined and presentable, and black musicians in the segregated South had a large presence in white society. They appeared often in elite white society audiences (though they were typically forbidden from interacting with the audience).

Blount received a scholarship at Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University in 1936 thanks to Whatley's intercession. He was a music education major, studying composition, orchestration, and music theory. He dropped out after a year.

Blount left college because, he said, he had a visionary experience as a college student with long-term influence on him. Sun Ra said a brilliant light appeared around him in 1936 or 1937, during heightened religious intense concentration, and later reported: "I see no stars around him."

Blount claimed that this event occurred in 1936 or 1937. According to Szwed, the musician's closest friends cannot tell the tale any earlier than 1952. (Blount also reported that the assault occurred when he was living in Chicago, where he did not settle until the late 1940s). Sun Ra discussed the vision from the beginning of his life, with no substantial difference. His ride to Saturn took place a full decade before flying saucers became mainstream news with Kenneth Arnold's 1947 visit to the city. It was earlier than most official accounts: about 15 years ago, before George Adamski wrote about contact with benevolent beings, and almost 20 years before Barney and Betty Hill, who recalled sinister UFO abductions, recounting sinister UFO abductions. "Even if this article is about revisionist autobiography..." Sonny was putting together several strains of his life, according to Szwed. He was both forecasting his future and describing his experience as a whole act of personal mythology.

Blount emerged as Birmingham's most singularly dedicated musician after graduating from college. Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, and Napoleon were among the many highly successful cat-nappers. He converted the first floor of his family's house into a conservatory-workshop, where he composed songs, transcribed recordings, and chatted with the many musicians who drifted in and out, as well as discussing Biblical and esoteric topics with anyone interested.

Blount joined Forbes Piano Company, a white-owned company in Birmingham, as a regular employee. Blount stayed at the Forbes building almost every day to play music, trade thoughts with workers and customers, or even copy sheet music into his notebooks. He formed a new band and, as his old instructor Whatley, maintained on regular rehearsals. The new Sonny Blount Orchestra has a reputation as an outstanding, disciplined band that could perform in a multitude of genres with equal success.

Blount was sent a specific service notice in October 1942 that he had been drafted into the Military of the United States. He quickly proclaimed himself a conscient objector, citing societal objections to war and killing, as well as his financial assistance for his great-aunt Ida and his persistent hernia. The local draft board denied his allegations. Blount wrote that the lack of black men on the draft appeal board "smacks of Hitlerism." Sonny's refusal to join the military deeply embarrassed his family, and many relatives feared him. He was eventually approved for alternate service at the Civil Service camp in Pennsylvania, but he did not turn up as scheduled on December 8, 1942. He was arrested in Alabama a few weeks later.

Blount said that the alternate service was ineffective, and that he debated the judge on legal and biblical interpretation. Blount was in breach of the constitution and was at risk of being drafted into the United States military, according to the judge. Blount said that if drafted, he would use military arms and preparation to murder the first high-ranking military officer in the country. Blount was sentenced to prison (pending draft board and CPS decisions), and then said, "I've never seen a nigger like you" before. "No, and you never will again," Blount said.

Blount sailed to the United States Marshals Service in Jasper, Alabama, in January 1943. He said he was suffering a nervous breakdown as a result of his release, that he was suicidal, and that he was terrified of sexual assault in every moment. He was escorted to Pennsylvania when his conscient objector status was reaffirmed in February 1943. During the day, he did forestry work as a volunteer, and was allowed to play piano at night. He was described as "a psychopathic personality [and] sexually perverted] by psychologists, but also as a "well-educated colored intellectual."

Blount was reclassified 4-F by the draft board in March 1943, embittered and angered, and he returned to Birmingham, embittered and outraged. He formed a new band and soon began playing professionally. Blount found no reason to remain in Birmingham after his beloved great-aunt Ida died in 1945. He disbanded the band and relocated to Chicago, a southern African American who migrated north during and after World War II.

Blount, a Chicago-born musician who made his debut on two 1946 singles, Dig This Boogie/Lightning Struck the Poorhouse, and My Baby's Barelhouse/Drinking By Myself, found work immediately. This Boogie was also Blount's first recorded piano solo. He performed with the nationally renowned Lil Green band and appeared in Calumet City strip joints for months.

Blount began his career at the Club DeLisa in August 1946, under the direction of bandleader and composer Fletcher Henderson. Blount had long admired Henderson, but Henderson's fortunes had decreased (his band was now made up of middling musicians rather than the actors of earlier years) in large part due to Henderson's long-term injury from a car crash. Henderson recruited Blount as a pianist and arranger, replacing Marl Young. Blount's initials displayed a certain degree of bebop influence, but the band members resisted the new music despite Henderson's encouragement.

Blount appeared briefly in a trio with saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and violinist Stuff Smith in 1948, both outstanding performers. There are no known recordings of this trio, but a home recording of a Blount-Smith duet from 1953 appears on Sound Sun Pleasure, and one of Sun Ra's final recordings in 1992 was a rare sideman appearance on violinist Billy Bang's Tribute to Stuff Smith.

Blount's personal experience in Chicago changed his outlook on work in addition to enabling career advancement. With Black Muslims, Black Hebrews, and others proselytizing, debating, or printing leaflets or books, the city was a epicenter of African-American political activism and fringe movements, with Black Muslims, Black Hebrews, and others proselytizing, debating, and printing leaflets or books. Blount absorbed it all and was fascinated with the city's many ancient Egyptian-styled buildings and monuments. George G.M.'s book "George G.M." The Stolen Legacy of James (which claimed that classical Greek philosophy had its roots in ancient Egypt) (which appeared in an earlier post). According to Blount, African cultures had systematically suppressed and denied African achievements and history.

Blount was leading the Space Trio with drummer Tommy "Bugs" Hunter and saxophonist Pat Patrick, two of the most accomplished musicians he had ever encountered. They appeared on a regular basis, and Sun Ra started writing more sophisticated songs.

Blount legally changed his name to Le Sony'r Ra, which was on October 20, 1952. Sun Ra said he had always been dissatisfied with Blount's birth name. It was regarded as a slave name from a family that was not his. In the process of building a new sense of self-awareness and self-confidence, David Martinelli said that his change was similar to "Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali." [dropping] their slave names.

Patrick and his new bride, who moved to Florida, had left the company to move to Florida. John Gilmore (tenor sax) joined the group, and Marshall Allen (alto sax) soon followed. Patrick was in and out of the company until the end of his life, but Allen and Gilmore were two of the Arkestra's most devoted members. In fact, Gilmore is often chastised for remaining with Sun Ra for more than forty years when he might have been a good leader in his own right. Both Saxophonist James Spaulding and trombonist Julian Priester appeared with Sun Ra in Chicago, and both went on to pursue their own. Von Freeman, a Chicago tenor, appeared in the early 1950s for a brief time with the band.

Sun Ra of Chicago met Alton Abraham, a precociously intelligent youth with a touch of a mysterious spirit. He was the Arkestra's best booster and one of Sun Ra's closest friends. Both men felt like strangers and expressed an interest in esoterica. Abraham's strengths balanced Ra's shortcomings: Sun Ra, although he was a disciplined bandleader, was still lacking in terms of leadership (a feature that haunted his entire career). Abraham was outgoing, well-connected, and practical. Although a youth, Abraham became Sun Ra's de facto business manager: he arranged appearances, suggested musicians for the Arkestra, and added several famous songs to the group's repertoire. Ra, Abraham, and others formed a kind of book club to trade ideas and discuss the offbeat topics that had piqued their interest. A number of pamphlets and broadsides were distributed by the association describing their findings and theories. According to some of these essays, critic John Corbett and Anthony Elms as The Wisdom of Sun Ra: Sun Ra's Polemical Broadsheets and Streetcorner Leaflets (2006).

Sun Ra and Abraham established El Saturn Records in the mid-1950s. (It had several spelling variations). Saturn Records released two full-length albums in the 1950s, one focusing on 45 rpm singles by Sun Ra and artists related to him. Producer Tom Wilson was the first to debut a Sun Ra album through his own label Transition Records in 1957, entitled Jazz by Sun Ra. Sun Ra released the first of hundreds of singles as a band-for-hire championing a number of doo wop and R&B singers during this period; several dozen of them were reissued in Evidence Records' two-CD set The Singles.

Sun Ra and his band began wearing outlandish, Egyptian-styled, or science fiction-themed costumes and headdresses in the late 1950s. These costumes were used for a variety of purposes: they celebrated Sun Ra's fascination with ancient Egypt and the space age, they gave the Arkestra's a recognizable identity, and comedic relief. (Sun Ra's opinion that avant garde musicians were often taken seriously.)

In the fall of 1961, Sun Ra and the Arkestra moved to New York City. Sun Ra and his band members lived communally to save money. Sun Ra was able to order rehearsals on demand and at any time, which was his regular habit. Sun Ra's album The Futuristic Sound of Sun Ra was released in New York during this period.

The Arkestra found a regular Monday night show at Slug's Saloon in March 1966. This was a breakthrough in terms of new audiences and recognition. Sun Ra's fame hit a new high during this period, as the beat generation and early followers of psychedelia all embraced him. Sun Ra and company appeared at Slug's for audiences that eventually included music critics and top jazz performers, both for the next year and a half (and occasionally for another half-decade afterward). Sun Ra's music was divided (and hecklers were not unusual).

Two of the bebop's architects received acclaim, despite the fact that two of them were highly praised. Dizzy Gillespie, a Trumpeter, gave hope to others, saying, "Keep it up, Sonny, they tried to do the same shit to me," and pianist Thelonious Monk chastised someone who said Sun Ra was "too far out" by replying, "Yes, but it swings."

Sun Ra, as well as members of the Arkestra and Al Kooper's Blues Project, produced the album Batman and Robin under the pseudonym The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale in 1966. The album featured mainly instrumental variations on the Batman Theme and public domain classical music, with an uncredited female vocalist performing the "Robin Theme."

Despite their planned financial management, New York's costs became too costly and compelled the company to relocate to Philadelphia.

Sun Ra and the Arkestra were relocated to Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood in 1968, when the New York building they were renting was up for auction. Sun Ra built a house on Morton Street that became the Arkestra's base of operations until his death. It later became known as the Arkestral Institute of Sun Ra. They were soon regarded as responsible neighbors due to their friendliness, drug-free living, and a closeness with children, with occasional screams over rehearsals. Danny Ray Thompson, the saxophonist, owned and operated Pharaoh's Den, a convenience store in the neighborhood. Sun Ra took it as a good omen when lightning struck a tree on their street. From the scorched tree trunk, James Jacson fashioned the Cosmic Infinity Drum. They travelled by train from New York to Slug's on Monday night for the Monday night performance and other functions.

Sun Ra became a fixture in Philadelphia, appearing on WXPN radio semi-regularly, giving lectures to community groups, or touring the city's libraries. In the mid-1970s, the Arkestra often held free concerts in a Germantown park near their house. Someone stood at the back of the room, selling stacks of unmarked LPs in plain white sleeves pressed from recordings of the band's live performances at the mid-1970s.

Sun Ra and the Arkestra's first tour of the US West Coast in late 1968. Reactions were mixed. Hippies who were used to long-form psychedelia like the Grateful Dead were often confused by the Arkestra. By this time, the show featured 20-30 musicians, dancers, singers, fire-eaters, and elaborate lighting. Rolling Stone's John Burks wrote a glowing review of a San Jose State College performance. Sun Ra was on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine on April 19, 1969, which introduced his inscrutable gaze to millions. Damon Choice, then an art student at San Jose, joined the Arkestra and became its vibraphonist during this tour.

The Arkestra began to tour internationally, with concerts in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in 1970. They performed to audiences who had only heard his music on record. Sun Ra lived in Europe until the end of his life. Danny Ray Thompson, the saxophonist, became a de facto tour and company manager during this period, specializing in "no bullshit C.O.D.," meaning he took cash before performing or delivering information.

Sun Ra was selected artist-in-residence at University of California, Berkeley, in early 1971, he taught a course called The Black Man In the Cosmos. Few students were enrolled, but his classes were often packed with curious individuals from the local area. One half of each class was devoted to a lecture (complete with handouts and homework assignments), the other half to an Arkestra performance or Sun Ra keyboard solo. The works of Madame Blavatsky and Henry Dumas, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Alexander Hislop's The Book of Oahspe, and other titles on Egyptian hieroglyphs, African American folklore, and other topics were among the reading lists.

Sun Ragab and the Arkestra were traveling around Egypt in 1971 at the invitation of drummer Salah Ragab. He returned to Egypt in 1983 and 1984, when he briefly worked with Ragab. Live in Egypt, Nidhamu, Sun Ra Meets Salah Ragab, Egypt Strut, and Horizon were among the recordings.

Producer John Coney, producer Jim Newman, and screenwriter Joshua Smith of San Francisco collaborated with Sun Ra to produce an 85-minute feature film entitled Space Is the Place, starring Sun Ra's Arkestra and an ensemble of actors assembled by the production team in 1972. It was shot in Oakland and San Francisco. The Arkestra's 1975 show concert in Cleveland featured an early lineup of Devo as the opening act. Sun Ra and the Arkestra appeared on the television show Saturday Night Live on May 20, 1978 (S3 E20).

Sun Ra and the Arkestra performed as the "house band" at the Squat Theatre in New York City in 1979, which was the performance venue for the avant-garde Hungarian theater troupe. Although the majority of the troupe was absent during the season of Europe, Janos, the theater's manager, converted the venue into a nightclub. Debbie Harry, John Cale and Nico (from Andy Warhol's Factory days), John Lurie and The Lounge Lizards, and other pop and avant-garde performers were among the regulars. Sun Ra was disciplined and drank only club soda at the gigs, but he did not enforce his draconian rule against his musicians. His deposition and authority were respected by his followers. Sun Ra, a soft-spoken and charismatic performer, turned Squat Theater into a world of big band "space" jazz, backed by a floor show of sexy Jupiterettes. He directed while playing three synthesizers at the same time. "Space Is The Place" was the space at Squat in those days.

The Arkestra's touring and recording continued into the 1990s and 1990s.

Sun Ra had a stroke in 1990 but continued writing, performing, and leading the Arkestra. He appeared at a few shows for the New York-based rock group Sonic Youth late in his career. Sun Ra's appointment of Gilmore to lead the Arkestra when she's too sick to perform and tour. (Gilmore was frail from emphysema) After his death in 1995, Allen took over the Arkestra's leadership.

Sun Ra returned to Birmingham, Alabama, with his older sister, Mary Jenkins, who (along with many Blount cousins) as his caretaker in late 1992. He was admitted to Princeton Baptist Medical Center in January, suffering from congestive heart disease, respiratory disease, strokes, circulatory disorders, and other common disorders. He died in the hospital on May 30, 1993, and was buried at the Elmwood Cemetery. "Herman Sonny Blount aka Le Sony'r Ra" appears on the footstone.

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