Photo: William P. Gottlieb / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Max Roach is, to me, a giant who lifted the drum kit from accompaniment to art. As a pioneer of bebop, he made rhythm the lead voice rather than mere timekeeping. The North Carolina native collected a MacArthur Fellowship in 1988, a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, and France's Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, and he taught at university, handing his soul to the next generation. He died in 2007, but the beats he carved still pulse today. I am deeply in love with a musician who poured intellect and poetry into the act of striking a drum. You simply cannot tell the story of jazz without him.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Max Roach
- Name (Japanese)
- マックス・ローチ
- Reading
- まっくす・ろーち
- Born
- January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Rat
- Origin
- Newland, North Carolina, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- composer / jazz musician / university teacher / percussionist / bandleader
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Boys High School
- University
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
Awards & achievements
- 1988 MacArthur Fellows Program
- 2008 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1998 Paul Acket Award
- Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
- NEA Jazz Masters
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Max Roach born?
January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007.
Where is Max Roach from?
Max Roach is from Newland, North Carolina, United States.
What does Max Roach do?
Max Roach works as composer, jazz musician, university teacher, percussionist, bandleader.
Composer — see all → · Jazz musician — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.