Max Roach was born on January 10th, 1924, in New Land, North Carolina, moving to Brooklyn, New York at age four. Music was prevelant in his life from a young age, and at eight years old, he began to learn piano. Several years later, he started playing drums, and because his mother was a gospel singer, Roach was able to play in choir bands. Before graduating high school, Roach established himself as a well-known drummer in a world of outstanding jazz musicians across America. Throughout the mid 1940s, Roach worked with other renowned artists like Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gilespie, and Miles Davis. He performed at well-known clubs such as Monroe's Uptown House and Minton's Playhouse.

In 1954, after studying classical percussion at Manhattan School of Music, Roach formed a jazz quintet with trumpeter Clifford Brown, and released many influential recordings. The quintet split in 1956 after a car accident killed Brown and another band member.

Roach became known for making the drum kit more than a band's timekeeper. He experimented with different sounds, eventually pioneering the use of the ride cymbal and hi-hat in jazz drumming. He developed a new sound for drum kit that paved the way for jazz genre known as "bebop," which is an up-tempo style of swing with chord changes and improvisation.

"I always resented the role of a drummer as nothing more than a subservient figure."

(Roach 1993)