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(NewsNation) — Known for songs such as “Bright Moments” and “Volunteered Slavery,” musician Rahsaan Roland Kirk pushed the boundaries of genre and performance, challenging the status quo every step of his career.
Born Ronald Kirk in 1935 in Columbus, Ohio, the musician lost his sight when he was two from what he called poor medical treatment, according to the Los Angeles Library.
He attended the Ohio State School for the Blind and — prompted by a dream — changed his name to “Roland” when he was a teenager.
Kirk would release his first album, “Triple Threat,” in 1956, named after his habit of playing three saxophones — a tenor, alto and soprano — at once. Some of the most memorable images of Kirk picture him with all three saxophones hanging around his neck as he played the instruments simultaneously.
He also played the flute, recorder, clarinet, harmonica, English horn and trumpet.
Although his freshman album debuted more than a decade earlier, it wasn’t until Kirk re-released “Triple Threat” in the 1970s that it gained a larger audience.
It was also around that time Kirk added “Rahsaan” to his name, inspired by another dream, and married his wife and manager, Dorthaan.
As time went on, Rahsaan Kirk began experimenting with untraditional sounds like alarm clocks, parts of political speeches and nature sounds infused in his music, according to the Los Angeles Library.
He called his sound “Black classical” music, resistant to the jazz label since he pulled from myriad influences across multiple genres such as pop and classical music.
Throughout his career, he played alongside Charles Mingus and recorded several albums with Quincy Jones.
A stroke in 1975 prompted Rahsaan Kirk to retire one of his saxophones and instead play two at a time one-handed. He died at 42 years old in Bloomington, Indiana, after suffering a second stroke in 1977.
Dorthaan Kirk continued managing her husband’s music after his death, acted as the administrator of his publishing company and organized several events in his honor, according to the National Endowment of the Arts.
A scholarship in her namesake, the Dorthaan Kirk Opportunity Fund, continues to help high school and college students from the greater Newark area pursue careers as jazz performers and industry professionals.
The Rahsaan Kirk Scholarship for the Arts similarly helps high school students in Columbus City attend a U.S. school to continue their education in music, performance or the arts.
