Wynton Marsalis, virtuoso trumpeter and bandleader, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 18, 1961. The second of six sons in a musical family, to Ellis and Dolores Marsalis., He exhibited an unusual aptitude for music, at an early age. At age eight, Wynton performed traditional New Orleans music in the Fairview Baptist Church, and at 14, he performed with the New Orleans Philharmonic. Marsalis graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School with a 3.98 GPA. He was the youngest musician admitted to Berkshire Music Center, at age 17, where he won the school's Harvey Shapiro Award for outstanding brass student. He moved to New York City to attend Juilliard in 1979. He seized the opportunity to join with Art Blakey’s “Jazz Messengers”. Wynton
