Giant head of Charlie Parker.

Big Green Head of Charlie Parker

Kansas City, Missouri

Charlie "Bird" Parker was a jazz genius, hipster hero, and heroin addict. When he died watching TV at age 34, the coroner mistook him for a man twice his age. Charlie didn't really like Kansas City, but that's where he grew up, and in March 1999 the city unveiled a big green head of Parker. Titled "Bird Lives," the head was sculpted by Robert Graham, who lived in a windowless fortress-house with film star Anjelica Huston. Parker had been dead for 44 years.

Big Green Head of Charlie Parker

Address:: E. 17th Terrace, Kansas City, MO
Directions:: Downtown. I-70 exit 3A. Drive south on The Paseo for a quarter-mile. You'll see the big green head on the left, next to a red brick building, at the corner of E. 17th Terrace.
Admission:: Free

More on Big Green Head of Charlie Parker

Nearby Offbeat Places

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City, MO - < 1 mi.

Mini-Baseball Diamond and Mural, Kansas City, MO - < 1 mi.

The Workhouse Castle, Kansas City, MO - < 1 mi.

In the region:

Truman Presidential Library, Independence, MO - 8 mi.

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