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 sidetracked and ruined by drugs. It often seems that by studying their histories, many musicians are mistakenly led to believe that if they use certain drugs, their playing will improve or become more creative. The lives of many great musicians have been tragically cut short due to 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 substance could enhance their musicianship. The tragic thing is that by the time they realize that drugs are only hurting their performance, the addiction has already taken control of their lives and their music. The first real drug epidemic in the American music scene came when jazz was in its developmental stage. in the first half and middle of the 20th century. Although there was a heroin epidemic nationwide at the time, not just among musicians, the second half of the 20th century suffered several musical casualties from the drug. When great musicians, like Charlie Parker, began using, the up-and-coming musicians who idolized him were well aware of his drug use. After seeing their idol explode, then go on stage and do bebop like it was nothing, these young musicians began to think, "If I tried this, I might be able to play like this." One of these young musicians, who would later become one of jazz's most historic figures, 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 earning a living were 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, instead of focusing on school. It was when Miles was playing in Billy Eckstine's band that Davis had his first major encounter with drugs. Davis had tried cocaine before when he was in the dressing room with Billy Holiday after a set at Down Beat, but said it didn't do anything for him. However not long after, with Eckstine's band, trumpeter Hobart Dotson gave Miles a piece of coke which he described as saying, "All I know is that suddenly everything seemed to light up, and I felt this sudden burst of energy.