One of the most important figures in modern music, Thelonious Sphere Monk was born in 1917 in North Carolina and introduced a unique piano style that has not been replicated. His inventive, wayward compositions, such as "Round Midnight" and "Epistrophy," helped form the basis of modern jazz, combining elements of stride piano with cutting-edge rhythms and harmonies. Monk's sound was years ahead, and his often unorthodox approach tended to mean he was either underappreciated or simply labeled eccentric.

Growing up in New York City, Monk began playing at an early age in churches and winning amateur contests. He made his breakthrough in the 1940s at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, part of the bebop revolution with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Yet Monk did not really stand for typical bebop, but heard space and silence instead of fast, dense solos.

Despite the struggle to be recognized at the beginning of his career, Monk's career really took off in the 1950s and '60s with notable albums and collaborations. In 1964 he was only one of a few jazz musicians to ever appear on the cover of Time magazine. Media often portrayed him for his oddities, but Monk was a family man and dedicated to his profession.

In the 1970s, Monk began to decline in health and eventually retired from public performances. He died in 1982, but his legacy lives on. Now, Monk is considered a revolutionary composer whose body of work forms part of the core repertoire in jazz and serves continually as an influence for musicians from all walks of life.