McCoy Tyner, renowned contemporary acoustic pianist and composer in the jazz tradition began studying the instrument at thirteen, and has been performing professionally since he was 15.
Beatrice Tyner, spotting early her eldest, son's musical inclinations, offered him a choice between piano or voice lessons. During that time McCoy was singing in the choir at Sulzberger Junior High in West Philadelphia. Once the 13-year-old McCoy decided on piano, his mother arranged for him to take lessons at the Philadelphia Music Center. Altogether, McCoy's formal music training lasted about three years.
By high school, McCoy began to pursue his own course in the field of jazz as his life's work, developing a highly percussive, model approach to the piano as a result of years of constant practice, as well as performances with many well known and local musicians leading up to and including the great John Coltrane Quartet.
McCoy's diligence in his piano studies surfaced early, though met with some restistance because his father was unable to see any value in it. For a whole year before getting his own piano, McCoy would practice everyday after school at one of three neighbors' homes. On the other hand, he received complete support from his mother. By the time McCoy was 14, his mother, who has a beautician and entrepreneur, used her earnings from her business to buy McCoy his first instrument, a Spinet. She had been saving for it for a year. They set it up in her beauty shop, where McCoy could rehearse while his mother fixed her customers' hair.
By age 15 McCoy began to display leadership qualities. He organized a seven-piece rhythm and blues group made up of neighborhood chums, and schoolmates, often times holding their rehearsals and sessions right in his mother's beauty shop.
McCoy claims pianists Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and Art Titum as his early musical influences. McCoy met Bud Powell when he was 16 years old. The high point of that meeting was when Bud Powell came to his house one afternoon and actually played with McCoy's piano.
During his high school summer breaks, McCoy blossomed tremendously as a result of living like a musician would on tour, except he was only sixty miles from home. He would commute to Atlantic City to perform in clubs with people like saxophonist Paul Jeffries and trumpeter Lee Morgan.
Shortly after McCoy graduated form high schoolin 1959, saxophonist Benny Golson approached him, offering him a gig in San Francisco at the Jazz Workshop. Golson along with trumpeter Art Farmer, was instrumental in getting McCoy situated in New York before forming the Jazztet. Golson also helped McCoy break into the recording business. Meet the Jazztet was the debut album for the group even though it was actually McCoy's second professional recording date.
By the end of 1970, McCoy began to surge forward. Later he signed a contract with Milestone Records, and he gained a reputation as a leader and a devot acoustic pianist, distinguishing him from many of his renowned peers. During this period, he received his first two Grammy nominations, and was roundly hailed as a leader in the field of acoustic piano by many leading music critics.
McCoy recording prolifically while at milestone, before leaving the label in 1980. he also changed his performance format from essentially a quintet ensemble to a trio. currently, the McCoy Tyner Trio performs, records and tours worldwide. In addition, McCoy composes and arranges music for a 14-piece big band which toured Europe in the fall of 1990. The McCoy Tyner Big Band was established in 1984. McCoy Tyner travels throughout the United States, Europe and Japan and is currently co-authoring a biography on his life and musical career. McCoy Tyner currently lives in New York.

Biography courtesy of Saudades Tourneen.