Born in Mississipi but raised in Chicago, John Gilmore was a late-comer to music, taking up the saxophone while serving in the U.S. Air Force. Meeting Sun Ra first in 1953, he became a sideman in the trio and later a member of the Arkestra - with which he was associated for the next forty years. During that period he worked with others (Clifford Jordan, Miles Davis, Johnny Griffin, Andrew Hill, Freddie Hubbard, Paul Bley & Art Blakely), but his prime focus remained with the Sun Ra Arkestra. After the leader's death in 1993, Gilmore took over the leadership...until his own death in 1995.