John Birks `` Dizzy '' Gillespie ( born October 21 , 1917 in Cheraw , South Carolina ) was an American jazz trumpeter , bandleader , singer and composer . John Birks `` Dizzy '' Gillespie ( ; October 21 , 1917 -- January 6 , 1993 ) was an American jazz trumpet player , bandleader , singer , and composer dubbed `` the sound of surprise '' .