Jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown died in 1956.
Brown died in a car crash near the Pennsylvania Turnpike on June 26, 1956. He was 25 years old. Pianist Richie Powell and Powell’s wife, Nancy, also died in the crash. Brown had been traveling while working with drummer Max Roach’s celebrated quintet.
Despite his short life, Brown became one of the defining trumpet voices of hard bop. His playing combined a rich tone, secure technique, flowing lines, and a strong sense of melody. The Brown and Roach quintet recordings helped establish a model for small-group jazz in the mid-1950s.
Brown is sometimes confused with other trumpeters who died young, particularly Booker Little, who died in 1961. Brown’s death occurred in 1956, only a few years after he began recording professionally. His influence continued through recordings, transcriptions, and the work of later trumpet players.