Exploring Richard Pryor’s unique friendship with Miles Davis
Richard Pryor will always be remembered as one of the greatest comedic talents in history, known for his unique ability to address important issues such as American racism and other socioeconomic problems. To this day, Pryor’s work continues to inspire newer generations of artists who are struggling to find a way to express themselves.
After enduring a rough childhood, Pryor started his career in New York City in the 1960s, where he worked in clubs alongside Woody Allen and Bob Dylan, among others. Initially, Pryor was heavily influenced by Bill Cosby and adopted a middlebrow approach to comedy before eventually growing into his hard-hitting style.
The ’60s also marked the beginning of Pryor’s unique friendship with one of the most important American musicians in history – Miles Davis. In 1968, Pryor was set to open for Davis at the iconic Village Gate in New York, where he had previously opened for the likes of Nina Simone. However, the comedian was completely surprised by what actually happened.
Davis was such a fan of Pryor’s comedy that he decided to show his support for the emerging talent by deciding to change the order of things. Before the show started, Pryor was notified that Davis had decided to open for him instead. The comedian later said: “The gesture was pure Miles—intuitive, supportive, generous, and in sync with the moment. By trading places, he was giving me a vote of support.”
After the show, Pryor went to Davis’ dressing room to thank him for what he had done, but he found the music legend “passionately kissing” Dizzy Gillespie. Pryor’s complicated friendship with Davis began that night, especially after Davis introduced the burgeoning comedian to his personal drug dealer.
Pryor added: “We chopped and snorted until the sun crept through the windows, and then we disappeared like vampires. After that evening, our lives became intertwined, my Miles’ and mine. I played his music, collected his art, admired his independence, understood his rudeness, and loved the way he talked.… That voice. It fascinated me like nothing else. No matter what he said, Miles sounded cool.”
In the years that followed, their relationship was strained due to multiple reasons. Pryor was not happy about the fact that his estranged wife, Shelley R. Bonus, had been spending time with Davis. According to the comedian, he was so mad when he found out that he bought a trumpet from a pawnshop and started blowing it on a street corner even though he knew nothing about the instrument.
Pryor also retaliated during the production of the film Bustin’ Loose where he annoyed his co-star Cicely Tyson (Davis’ wife), especially because he was dealing with a lot of substance abuse issues at the time. Despite these disagreements, Pryor always considered Davis to be a personal hero, and he never forgot the advice that the musician had given him: “Listen to the music inside your head, Rich. Play with your heart.”
