Throughout the history of American music, the use and abuse of illegal drugs has been widespread, and the lives of some great musicians have been completely devastated and ruined by drugs. It often seems that by studying their history, many musicians are led to falsely believe that if they use certain drugs their playing will improve or become more creative. Many great musicians' lives have been tragically cut short due to their drug use, and God knows where some of them would be today if they hadn't fallen into the trap of believing that a chemical can improve their musicality. The tragic thing is that by the time they realize that the drugs are only hurting their performance, the addiction has already taken control of their lives and their music. The first real drug epidemic on the American music scene occurred when jazz was in its early stages of development. in the first half and middle of the 20th century. Although there was a heroin epidemic across the country at the time, and not just among musicians, the latter half of the 20th century saw several musical casualties from the drug. When major musicians, such as Charlie Parker, began using, the emerging musicians who idolized him were well aware of his drug use. Watching their idol fly away, then take the stage and tear up bebop like it was nothing, these young players began to think, "If I tried, maybe I could play like that." One of these young musicians, who would become one of the most historic figures in jazz, was Miles Davis. Miles came from a wealthy, middle-class family. His father was a successful dentist, so money was never an issue. Miles' father encouraged the arts, while his mother discouraged them because the chances of making a good living are slim to none. However, Miles ended up going to Juliard for trumpet and his career began when he began playing with other musicians in New York, rather than focusing on school. It was while Miles was playing in Billy Eckstine's band that Davis had his first big encounter with drugs. Davis had tried cocaine earlier while in the locker room with Billy Holiday after a set at Down Beat, but he said it did nothing for him. However, shortly afterward, with Eckstine's band, trumpeter Hobart Dotson gave Miles a glass of coke which he described by saying, "All I know is all of a sudden , everything seemed to clear up, and I felt this sudden burst of energy..