John Coltrane Net Worth

What was John Coltrane's Net Worth?

John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of his death. That's the same as around $4 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation. One of the most significant and influential figures in jazz history, John Coltrane helped pioneer modal jazz and free jazz, released numerous albums, and led around 50 recording sessions. Coltrane has earned numerous posthumous honors since his untimely passing in 1967, including canonization by the African Orthodox Church in 1982 and a special Pulitzer Prize in 2007.

Early Life and Education

John Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina to Alice and John Sr. He was raised in High Point. Coltrane grew up heavily shaped by Christianity, as two of his grandparents were ministers. When Coltrane was 12 years old, his father, aunt, and grandparents died within the span of a few months, and he was subsequently raised by his mother and a cousin. After graduating from William Penn High School in 1943, Coltrane moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and secured a job at a sugar refinery. Later that year, his mother bought him his first saxophone. Coltrane went on to take saxophone lessons at the Ornstein School of Music from 1944 to 1945. During that time, he saw a performance by jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker that ignited his passion.

Military Service

In the summer of 1945, Coltrane enlisted in the US Navy so he could avoid being drafted by the Army. It just so happened that the day he enlisted was also the day the US dropped its first atomic bomb on Japan. Coltrane was eventually stationed at Manana Barracks in Pearl Harbor. His musical talent made a major impression in the Navy, and he soon joined the swing band that performed at the base, called the Melody Masters. By the end of his military service, Coltrane had taken on a leadership role in the band, playing alto saxophone and doing his first recordings in July of 1946. The month after that, he was discharged from the Navy as a seaman first class.

Postwar Career

Coltrane returned to Philadelphia after the war and used the GI Bill to enroll at the Granoff School of Music. There, he studied music theory under jazz guitarist Dennis Sandole and took saxophone lessons with Matthew Rastelli. Coltrane went on to tour with jazz trumpeter and bandleader King Kolax, under whom he switched to tenor saxophone. After that, he became part of a band led by Jimmy Heath. In the late 1940s, Coltrane played with his idol Charlie Parker, and in the early-to-mid-1950s he played in bands led by Earl Bostic, Dizzy Gillespie, and Johnny Hodges.

Work with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk

In 1955, Coltrane received a call from legendary trumpeter Miles Davis about forming a quintet. He took the offer and joined Davis, pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones in what became the new Miles Davis Quartet. Coltrane played with the group from 1955 until his heroin addiction precipitated the disbanding of the quartet in the spring of 1957. He subsequently became a member of jazz pianist Thelonious Monk's quartet, performing at the Five Spot Café in New York. At the end of 1957, after having had a religious awakening that resulted in him getting sober, Coltrane reunited with Miles Davis and joined his new sextet. He participated in some session and concert recordings and remained with the group until April of 1960.

Atlantic Records and Impulse! Records

In early 1960, Coltrane released his first album as leader for Atlantic Records, entitled "Giant Steps." With its challenging chord progressions and melodic experimentation, the album became regarded as one of the most influential in jazz history. Later in 1960, Coltrane formed his first quartet for performing live; this band released the album "My Favorite Things," which was Coltrane's first on soprano saxophone. In 1961, Coltrane's contract with Atlantic was acquired by Impulse! Records, and later that year he released his first album for the label, "Africa/Bass." He went on to establish his best-known quartet in 1962, consisting of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones. This new quartet's first album was "Coltrane," released in the summer of 1962. That was followed by "Ballads" in early 1963. Around that same time, Coltrane collaborated with jazz pianist Duke Ellington on the album "Duke Ellington & John Coltrane." He and his quartet then collaborated with Johnny Hartman on "John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman," which was released in the summer of 1963. The following year, the quartet released the album "Crescent."

The classic Coltrane quartet had its best-selling and most lauded album, "A Love Supreme," in early 1965. A four-part suite, it served as Coltrane's paean to his Christian faith and piety and was the apogee of his exploration of spirituality through music. After that album, Coltrane increasingly embraced avant-garde and free jazz, leading to such albums as "The John Coltrane Quartet Plays," "Transition," "Sun Ship," and the polarizing "Ascension." By the end of 1965, Coltrane was regularly including free-jazz musicians in his group, with Pharaoh Sanders as a constant. This spelled the end of his classic quartet, with Tyner and Jones leaving the group. Coltrane subsequently formed a quintet with his wife Alice on piano, Sanders on tenor saxophone, Garrison on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums. This group released the album "Expression," which came out a couple of months after Coltrane's passing. Coltrane had many other posthumous releases over the ensuing years, including the albums "Om," "Interstellar Space," and "Stellar Regions."

Personal Life and Death

Coltrane married his first wife, Naima, in 1955. A convert to Islam, she significantly influenced Coltrane's spiritual beliefs. He adopted his wife's daughter Syeeda. The family lived in Philadelphia before moving to New York City. Coltrane and his wife broke up in 1963, although they stayed close afterwards. Shortly after they officially divorced in 1966, Coltrane wed pianist Alice McLeod, with whom he had been living for a while. They had three sons named John Jr., Ravi, and Oran, who all became musicians. Alice, a Hindu spiritual leader, helped nurture Coltrane's interest in Eastern spirituality and philosophy.

On July 17, 1967, Coltrane passed away from liver cancer at Huntington Hospital on Long Island. His funeral was held four days later at St. Peter's Lutheran Church. Coltrane's reputation and legacy in both jazz music and the wider American culture grew larger in the years after his death. In 1982, he was canonized by the African Orthodox Church in San Francisco, California, where he became Saint John Coltrane.

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