Jazz, in many ways America’s most original music, was born in New Orleans and flourished from coast to coast. Jazz music was created by progressives and outcasts who dared to find new sounds, and redefined the parameters of musical genius.
We know the big names of jazz: Louie Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis—but did you ever wonder what cars they drove? Here’s a glimpse into the vehicular repertoire of some of jazz’s greatest legends, who approached the road with the same style and class they brought to the stage.
A Love Supreme: John Coltrane’s Swanky Lincoln
Mid-century saxophonist John Coltrane was so sought-after by record labels that in 1959, Atlantic Records offered him a car if he agreed to sign with them. Well, sort of. At first, they offered him seven grand a year. When Coltrane requested a new car also be part of the deal, they let him pick one out. He went with a brand new Lincoln Continental.
The Continental’s slick and imposing presence was a fitting choice for Coltrane, who idolized pioneering jazz saxophonists Charlie Parker and Lester Young but was shaping up to outdo them commercially. Later on, Coltrane also owned a white Jaguar E-Type, but like his idols, health issues stemming from years of alcohol and drug abuse cut Coltane’s life short in 1967.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday’s cars
Billie Holiday had glamourous taste but lived on the edge. During her career, she owned a pair of beautiful American cars whose fates were as tragic as Lady Day’s herself.
A known addict, federal drug agents tailed Holiday for much of her life. When Philadelphia police caught the legendary jazz singer with heroin in 1947, they shot her empty Cadillac full of bullets. A California newspaper article in 1951 reports that Holiday’s “$5,500 royal blue Lincoln sedan” was taken as state property after her chauffeur was arrested for heroin possession. 44-year-old Holiday died handcuffed to a hospital bed in 1959, but we prefer to picture her in the backseat of her American luxury vehicle, wrapped in a mink stole.
Birth of the Cool: Miles Davis and his Ferraris
Lester Young may have coined the term “cool,” but Miles Davis made it a lifestyle. The great Jazz trumpeter’s sound and style were inimitable. As for his car collection? Downright enviable.
Things were off to a rough start when Davis’ 1948 Dodge convertible was repossessed (most of his money went toward his drug habit then). Still, as years passed, Davis got into Italian sports cars, saying, “I drive a Ferrari—not to be cute, but because I dig it.” A 275GTB/4, 308GTSi and a Testarossa were part of his collection. The bestselling jazz artist of all time also owned a Lamborghini Miura S, which he crashed at high speed in 1972, an accident resulting in Davis largely retreating from the public eye until his 1991 death.
Ella Fitzgerald’s Mercedes-Benz: A rare gem for a rare gem
Ella Fitzgerald, also called the “First Lady of Song,” lost her mother to a car accident when she was 15 and spent much of her teen years in and out of reform school or homeless on the street. But Fitzgerald sang her way out of the situation with a silky voice and razor-sharp timing, making her one of the most beloved jazz singers ever.
After moving to Los Angeles in the ‘50s, Fitzgerald ordered a car from the Mercedes-Benz factory in Germany that was as special as she was. Her 1959 300d cabriolet sedan was one of only 65 made. Fitzgerald customized the luxurious V6 with a red leather interior, blue-gray body paint, and whitewall tires. She kept the Mercedes in excellent condition, putting just 90,000 miles on the odometer in the 37 years she owned it. In 2020 it went up for auction for $450,000.
Satchmo loves Cadillacs
It’s impossible to discuss the legacy of jazz without giving Louis Armstrong (fans call him Satchmo) his due recognition. Born in 1901 and raised in New Orleans’ toughest neighborhood, Armstrong would go on to have a 60-year career and become one of the most emblematic figures of American music.
The legendary trumpeter and gravel-voiced vocalist considered Cadillac the finest automaker and owned multiple Fleetwood models in his lifetime. Armstrong noted that the neighborhood kids near his home in Corona, Queens, New York loved to watch his “fine Cadillac ooze on out” of the garage. Armstrong didn’t just buy Cadillacs for himself. It’s said that he regularly bought new Cadillacs for family members and girlfriends. Spread the love, Satchmo!
This article originally appeared on MyCarMakesNoise.
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