Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist. Born on April 22, 1922 in Nogales, Arizona, USA, he was a forerunner in double bass technique and pioneered innovative studio techniques such as overdubbing and tape cutting. Mingus also authored the autobiographical novel "Beneath The Underdog". He passed away at the age of 56 on January 5, 1979 in Cuernavaca, Mexico due to Lou Gehrig's disease.