One of the great jazz trumpeters of the 1960s, Lee Morgan was the natural successor to Clifford Brown, making an impact on the scene shortly after Brownie's death and at first playing in a very similar style. He was a bit of a prodigy, working professionally in Philadelphia when he was 15 and joining Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra when he was barely 18. Morgan led his first Blue Note session later that year and he would record his first two classic albums for the label during 1957-58: The Cooker and Candy. Morgan was with Gillespie's band into 1958 when he became a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1958-61), touring and recording extensively with the group and sharing the frontline with Benny Golson, Hank Mobley and finally Wayne Shorter. Drug problems resulted in him quitting the band in 1961 and maintaining a low profile in Philadelphia until 1963. When Morgan came back, his first recording was his biggest hit, "The Sidewinder." He entered his greatest period, recording one memorable album after another, writing "Ceora" and "Speedball" and spending a second period with Blakey (1964-65). Morgan's playing became more adventurous and by the end of the decade he was exploring modal music, using some avant-garde elements and opening his playing to the influence of funk. On February 19, 1972 he was fatally shot by a girlfriend, ending his life at the age of 33. Lee Morgan recorded many records throughout his career as a sideman and he led 25 albums for Blue Note (coincidentally the same number as Hank Mobley) plus sessions for Vee-Jay, Roulette, Jazzland and Trip.