"Sun Ra - Birth name: Herman Poole Blount. May 22, 1914 - May 30, 1993. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Jazz composer, band leader, piano and synthesizer player, poet, thinker. As a leading figure in Afrofuturism, he has mastered a wide range of styles including jazz, R&B, exotica, Afro-hybrid, electronic, big band, solo piano, orchestra, experimental music, and chamber music. During his 45-years recording career, he has released a vast number of albums and was the first black musician to own an independent label. The label was named “Saturn” after the planet he claimed to have been born on. Its handmade, one-of-a-kind jackets can be considered as works of art, and are now collectors' items. He is a unique genius who refused to compromise or relinquish control of his own destiny