· March 9, 1930 Born in Fort Worth, Texas
· 1944 Begins learning saxophone
· 1946 Switches to tenor sax and plays in local r&b bands
· 1949 Joins Silas Green for New Orleans and tours southern United States. Is kicked out of the band while in Natchez, Mississipppi
· 1950 Ornette gets to New Orleans, where he meets future drummer Ed Blackwell. Joins Pee Wee Crayton's r&b band and travels Los Anglese, where he remains
· 1957 Begins playing regularly with a group of like-minded musicians: cornetist Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Ed Blackwell
· 1958 Records his first album, Something Else!, for Contemporary Records.
· Summer 1959 Enters the Lenox School of Jazz with the aid of Modern Jazz Quartet pianist John Lewis
· November 17, 1959 The Coleman quartet opens its run at New York's Five Spot club
· December 21, 1960 Records Free Jazz
· December 21, 1962 January 8, 1965 Ornette's group makes no appearances. He continues to rehearse with a trio, jams with other musicians, and teaches himself trumpet and violin. The break ends with a stay at New York's village Vanguard by his new trio with bassist David Izenzon and drummer Charles Moffett
· 1967 Ornette receives his first of two Guggenheim fellowships for jazz composition
· 1970 Ornette opens the Artists House. It closes soon after due to noise complaints
· April 1972 Records Skies of America symphony with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The liner notes, written by Ornette, feature the first mention of Harmolodics
· January 1973 Travels to Morroco to study the Master Musicians of Joujouka
· 1973 Receives second Guggenheim fellowship
· December 1975 Ornette forms his electric group Prime Time and with them records the album Dancing In Your Head
· December 1985 Records Song X with Pat Metheny
· February 1987 Records In All Languages with his original quartet and Prime Time
· 1996 Releases the albums Three Women and Hidden Man featuring Geri Allen, his son Denardo, and Charnett Moffett. Also records albums with a pianists Geri Allen and Joachim Kuhn, respectively.
· Present Ornette continues to record and perform with many great musicians
