Sun Ra Vinyl Records

Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, 1914–1993) was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific output, and theatrical performances. He is widely considered to be a pioneer of Afrofuturism, a movement that explores the developing intersection of African-American culture and technology.

Sun Ra's early music (1946–57) focused on traditional jazz and swing, often drawing on both popular and obscure sources, but he quickly moved towards a unique blend of experimental music, incorporating elements of free jazz, avant-garde jazz, 20th century classical music, and free-form improvisation. His albums from the 1950s and 1960s, such as Jazz in Silhouette (1959) and The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra (1961), are considered to be some of his best work.

Notable albums from Sun Ra's later career include Space Is the Place (1972), Atlantis (1979), and the compilation album The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra (1965). Standout songs include "Nuclear War", "Space Is the Place", "Love in Outer Space", and "Rocket Number Nine".

An interesting fact about Sun Ra is that he changed his name in 1952 after an alien told him in a dream to adopt a new name that would express his true identity. He chose Sun Ra, which he believed to be the name of an ancient Egyptian god.