File:Sun_Ra_(1973_publicity_photo_-_Impulse_ABC_Dunhill).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Sun Ra
Sign in to saveAlso known as Sonny Blount, Herman Blount, Herman Poole Blount, Le Sony'r Ra, Le Sun Ra, Sonny Bourke, Le Sun-Ra, Herman Lee
American jazz composer and bandleader (1914–1993)
OverviewAI-generated
Sun Ra, born Herman on May 22, 1914, in Birmingham, Alabama, was an American jazz musician, composer, conductor, and bandleader. He was an African American male who began his work period in 1934 and was educated at Alabama A & M University. Ra played the organ, piano, synthesizer, and cello, performing in genres including jazz, jazz fusion, bebop, and experimental music. He recorded for A&M Records, BYG Records, and ESP-Disk.
His musical career spanned several decades, with his death occurring on May 30, 1993, due to pneumonia. Ra’s notable written works include *Space is the place*, *Prophetika*, *God is more than love can ever be*, *Of abstract dreams*, and *My brother the wind*. He spoke and wrote in English.
Synthesized by Vinony from 43 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, OpenAlex, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Crossref, Last.fm, TMDb, Wikiquote, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Works
- 11
Top works
- The immeasurable equation
- Space is the place
- Prophetika
- God is more than love can ever be
- Of abstract dreams
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Birmingham, Alabama , U.S.
Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, legal name Le Sony'r Ra; May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993) was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher 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.
Known for
- Sun Ra: Do the Impossible — Self (archive footage)2025
- Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music — Self (archive footage)2025
- The Magic City: Birmingham according to Sun Ra — Self2025
- Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight2023
- Rebirth Is Necessary — Self (Archive Footage)2017
- I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore: Film, Stories & Images from the Mississippi Records and Alan Lomax Archive — Himself2013
- Jazz Evolution — Self - Organ2008
- Sun Ra: Brother From Another Planet — Self2005
- Mystery Mister Ra — Self1984
- Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise — Himself1980
via TMDB
Music · MusicBrainz
- Type
- Person
- Gender
- Male
- Country
- United States
- Active from
- 1914
- Active to
- 1993
Discography
via MusicBrainz · CC0
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 528,614
- Total plays
- 9,180,769
Tags
Sun Ra (1914 – 1993) was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesiser player, who came to be known as much for his Cosmic Afro-futurist Philosophy as for his phenomenal musical compositions and performances. He claimed that he was of the "Angel Race", not from Earth but from Saturn. Some of his most notable influences were African and African-American theatre, theosophy, and masonic Afro-futurism. His interest in these art forms <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Sun+Ra">Read
via Last.fm · Sun Ra
Key facts
- Also known as
- Le Sony'r Ra ( legal name )
- Born
- Herman Poole Blount , ( 1914-05-22 ) May 22, 1914, Birmingham, Alabama , U.S.
- Died
- May 30, 1993 (1993-05-30) (aged 79), Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
- Genres
- Jazz experimental space avant-garde
- Occupations
- Bandleader composer arranger artist poet
- Instruments
- Keyboards vocals
- Years active
- 1934–1993
- Labels
- El Saturn Thoth Intergalactic Impulse! MPS ESP-Disk Black Saint A&M Leo Rounder
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Birmingham
- Place of death
- Birmingham
- Occupation
- music arranger
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Native language
- English language
- Award
- NEA Jazz Masters
- Field of work
- jazz
- Genre
- hard bop
- Instrument
- celesta
- Discography
- Sun Ra discography
- Official website
- sunra.com
- Image
- Sun Ra (1973 publicity photo - Impulse ABC Dunhill).jpg
Show 11 more facts
- Commons category
- Sun Ra
- date of birth
- 1914-05-22
- cause of death
- pneumonia
- manner of death
- natural causes
- ethnic group
- African Americans
- start of work period
- 1934-00-00
- sexual orientation
- asexuality
- writing language
- English language
- date of death
- 1993-05-30
- end of work period
- 1993-00-00
Sources (13)
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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). Claiming to be an alien from Saturn on a mission to preach peace, he developed a mythical persona and an idiosyncratic credo that made him a pioneer of Afrofuturism. Throughout his life he denied ties to his prior identity saying, "Any name that I use other than Ra is a pseudonym." His widely eclectic and avant-garde music echoed the entire history of jazz, from ragtime and early New Orleans hot jazz, to swing music, bebop, free jazz and fusion. His compositions ranged from keyboard solos to works for big bands of over 30 musicians, along with electronic excursions, songs, chants, percussion pieces, and anthems.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Sun Ra” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.