McCoy Tyner
Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938 – March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965 and his long solo career afterward. He was an NEA Jazz Master and a five-time Grammy Award winner. Tyner has been widely imitated and is one of the most recognizable and influential jazz pianists of all time. Tyner was born on December 11, 1938, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the eldest of Jarvis and Beatrice (née Stevenson) Tyner’s three children.
Tyner was encouraged to study piano by his mother, who had installed a piano at her beauty salon. When he was 13, Tyner began piano lessons at Granoff School of Music, where he also studied music theory and harmony. By the time he was 15, music had become the focus of his life.
Tyner’s decision to study piano was reinforced when he encountered bebop pianist Bud Powell, a neighbor of the Tyner family. Another major influence on Tyner’s playing was Thelonious Monk, whose percussive attacks informed Tyner’s style. During his teens, Tyner led his own group, the Houserockers.
When he was 17, Tyner converted to Ahmadiyya and changed his name to Suleiman Saud, although he continued to perform as “McCoy Tyner”.