When one thinks of jazz, New York, Chicago, and New Orleans come immediately to mind - but rarely does one think of Cheraw, South Carolina. Regardless of first impressions, Cheraw is the birthplace of jazz-great Dizzy Gillespie.

John Birks (”Dizzy”) Gillespie was born in Cheraw in 1917. His father was the leader of a small band and exposed Dizzy to numerous instruments during his youth. He started playing the piano when he was just four years old. Shortly after his father’s death, when Dizzy was ten, he settled on the trumpet and began playing in public.

Dizzy is well-known as one of the founders of Afro-Cuban jazz, jazz music with a slight Cuban or Spanish flavor. He was also highly “instrumental” in the development of bebop jazz, along with Charlie Parker. He would start his songs by verbally pronouncing the notes, like “dee-ba-pa-n-bebop.” Soon his fans were asking for “bebop” music and saw it as part of the song, not just a vocal warm-up.

His unusual nickname was taken from a comment by fellow band-member Palmer Davis about Dizzy’s excited stage-presence. “Man, this is a dizzy cat,” Davis said, and the name stuck. Dizzy played around the world, and regardless of what continent the stage was on, he typically started his show saying “I’m Dizzy Gillespie from Chee-raw, South Carolina.” Up until Dizzy died of cancer in 1993, he had an incomparable 60-year career. Dizzy performed all over the globe for world leaders and dignitaries, including eight presidents spanning Eisenhower to Bush.

Besides Dizzy’s profound audio stylings, some of his physical attributes were standouts as well. His trademark puffy chipmunk-cheeks are a bane of music teachers everywhere. He also often sported a beret as well as horn-rimmed glasses. He played on a bent trumpet, where the horn points skyward. His first upward pointing trumpet was a result of an accident with a drunken party-goer, but Dizzy claimed that it helped him hear his own sound better.

Dizzy’s unconventional style led him to surprise the world in 1964 when he ran for president. The platform for his run was abolishing racism and spreading world peace. His purpose was solemn, but his campaign was lighthearted. His tongue-in-cheek proposition was that upon winning, he would rename the White House, the “Blues House.” He also stated that he’d appoint Miles Davis as CIA Chief and Malcolm X as Attorney General. His campaign song showed his good-natured spirit with lyrics like “Your politics oughta be a groovier thing / So get a good President who’s willing to swing.”

The South Carolina Jazz Festival takes place in Cheraw each year around the time of Dizzy’s birthday - October 21. In 2010, the festival will run October 16-18.

See more Cheraw events and festivals.

Hear one of Dizzy’s tunes on SCIway’s South Carolina Soundtrack.

Find out more about notable SC African-Americans.