One of the most important figures in twentieth century American music, Charles Mingus (1922-1979) was a virtuoso bass player, accomplished pianist, bandleader and composer. He studied double bass and composition in a formal way while absorbing vernacular music from the great jazz masters, first-hand. He played and recorded with the leading musicians of the 1950's: Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Art Tatum and Duke Ellington himself. Mingus quickly developed as a leader of musicians, one of the few bassists to do so. Mingus soon found himself at the forefront of the avant-garde. In 1971 his autobiography, Beneath the Underdog, was published. When asked to comment on his accomplishments, Mingus said that his abilities as a bassist were the result of hard work but that his talent for composition came from God.