Elvin Jones got his start watching circus bands. By the end of his career and life, thousands of drummers had been influenced by Elvin Jones.

Jones was born Sept. 9, 1927, in Michigan, and first showed interest in the drums after watching circus bands march by his family’s home in Pontiac. He was known to wander away, following the band.

After a three-year stint in the army, Jones came home in 1949 to play for a Detroit house band led by Billy Mitchell. He once said that, returning from the service without a job or money, he had to borrow $35 from his sister to buy his first drum set.

Leaving for New York City in 1955, Jones arrived to find work as a sideman for artists like Charles Mingus, Teddy Charles, Bud Powell and Miles Davis. From 1960 through 1966, he was a member of the John Coltrane quartet. This work was considered some of his best, including his drumming for the album “A Love Supreme.”

After his time with Coltrane, Jones moved on to lead several small groups of his own under the name The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine. He also recorded with both of his brothers, Hank (an accomplished pianist) and Thad (a great trumpeter, composer and bandleader).

Jones was an influence on a number of great drummers, including Jimi Hendrix percussionist Mitch Mitchell (whom Hendrix once called “my Elvin Jones”) and Cream drummer Ginger Baker. Jones taught regularly, participated in clinics, played for school assemblies and gave free concerts in prisons. His performances and lessons emphasized music history and not merely drumming techniques.

Jones died of heart failure on May 18, 2004, in Englewood, N.J.