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American jazz trumpeter and composer, renowned for his virtuosic technique, warm tone, and significant influence on modern jazz despite a tragically short career.Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Brown rose to prominence in the 1950s as a leading figure in the bebop and hard bop movements. He performed with luminaries like Art Blakey, Lionel Hampton, and Max Roach, co-leading the groundbreaking Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet. His career was abruptly ended by a fatal car accident at age 25.

• Brown was entirely self-taught on trumpet by age 15, developing his exceptional skills through rigorous practice while studying mathematics at Delaware State University.
• He survived a near-fatal car accident in 1950 that left him hospitalized for a year, using recovery time to deepen his music theory knowledge.
• Unusual for jazz musicians of his era, Brown was teetotal and avoided drugs, famously stating: 'I’m not going to die before I’m 40 from taking drugs.'
• He died alongside pianist Richie Powell (younger brother of Bud Powell) and his wife Nancy in a rain-related crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike while en route to a Chicago performance.
• Despite only four years of professional recording (1952–1956), Brown left an immense legacy through albums like 'Study in Brown' and 'Clifford Brown & Max Roach at Basin Street.'