COMPOSER

Sun Ra

1914 - 1993

Photo of Sun Ra

Icon of person Sun Ra

Le Sony'r Ra (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, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific output, and theatrical performances. For much of his career, Ra led The Arkestra, an ensemble with an ever-changing name and flexible line-up. Born and raised in Alabama, Blount became involved in the Chicago jazz scene during the late 1940s. He soon abandoned his birth name, taking the name Le Sony'r Ra, shortened to Sun Ra (after Ra, the Egyptian god of the Sun). Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Sun Ra is the 738th most popular composer (down from 657th in 2019), the 3,980th most popular biography from United States (down from 3,113th in 2019) and the 41st most popular American Composer.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Sun Ra by language

Loading...

Among COMPOSERS

Among composers, Sun Ra ranks 738 out of 1,451. Before him are Andreas Werckmeister, John Stanley, Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, Emil von Reznicek, Gabriel Yared, and Joseph Jongen. After him are Stephen Sondheim, Giacomo Antonio Perti, Edward MacDowell, Ernest Gold, Aribert Reimann, and Aristides Quintilianus.

Most Popular Composers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1914, Sun Ra ranks 158. Before him are Arno Schmidt, Jens Otto Krag, Hernán Siles Zuazo, Harry F. Byrd Jr., Kazimierz Świątek, and Albrecht Brandi. After him are Domènec Balmanya, Budd Schulberg, Magda Frank, Adolf Diekmann, Maxim of Bulgaria, and Giorgio Almirante. Among people deceased in 1993, Sun Ra ranks 106. Before him are Joseph Serchuk, Leo Löwenthal, Józef Czapski, Ugo Locatelli, Wolfgang Lotz, and Shovkat Alakbarova. After him are Monte Melkonian, William L. Shirer, Andrey Nikolayevich Tikhonov, John Tuzo Wilson, Richard Jordan, and Guido Masetti.

Others Born in 1914

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1993

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Sun Ra ranks 3,980 out of 20,380. Before him are Mike Markkula (1942), Sam Rockwell (1968), Neil Postman (1931), Annette O'Toole (1952), Richard Bright (1937), and Alexandra Ripley (1934). After him are Eddie Guerrero (1967), Stephen Sondheim (1930), William Clothier (1881), Carl Laemmle Jr. (1908), Earle Meadows (1913), and Dan Sullivan (1964).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among COMPOSERS In United States

Among composers born in United States, Sun Ra ranks 41. Before him are Stephen Foster (1826), Alex North (1910), Basil Poledouris (1945), Jerome Kern (1885), Carmine Coppola (1910), and Lee Konitz (1927). After him are Stephen Sondheim (1930), Edward MacDowell (1860), Dave Grusin (1934), Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884), Brian Tyler (1972), and Thomas Newman (1955).

American born Composers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous