Arthur Blakey, born in 1919 and passing in 1990, was a legendary American jazz drummer and bandleader. Known for his dynamic style and powerful rhythm, he gained early recognition playing with big bands led by Fletcher Henderson and Billy Eckstine in the 1940s, and collaborating with major bebop figures like Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. In the mid-1950s, Blakey co-founded The Jazz Messengers with Horace Silver, turning the group into a leading force in hard bop jazz and a launching pad for many future stars such as Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, and Wynton Marsalis. Often called the definitive hard bop ensemble, The Jazz Messengers set the standard for decades. Blakey’s influence was recognized with inductions into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame, the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.