Sun Ra was a pretty strange guy. For starters, he thought he was an angel from Saturn and dressed like an Egyptian Pharaoh. It was also not uncommon for him to go into the audience during shows, sneak up on audience members, and bear hug them. Even when at home, he and his "Arkestra" would jam for days on end, drawing the attention of both his neighbors and the police. Although he may have been known for his unorthodox lifestyle, what people truly remember is the music. Sun Ra was a pioneer of the free jazz genre, which was highly unpopular at its inception, but earned a lot of respect over the years. While he had contemporaries like Ornette Coleman who would also persevere through the criticism, Sun Ra was the only one to accept free jazz not only as a genre, but as a way of life.
