Earl Charles Barrington May (September 17, 1927 – January 4, 2008) was an American jazz bassist. He was “one of the most prodigious and prolific bassists of the postwar era”.

May was born in New York City on September 17, 1927. As a child, he played the drums, and changed to the acoustic bass at the age of 14.^[1] He “played left-handed on an instrument strung for a right-handed player”.

Until 1951, May had a job in insurance while playing in clubs at night. During this period, he played with Miles Davis, Lester Young, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, and Mercer Ellington. He was also taught by Charles Mingus in the early 1950s. Through most of the 1950s he played in a trio with Billy Taylor, and also worked in the late 1950s with John Coltrane and Chet Baker.