John Coltrane, born in 1926 and died in 1967, was a world renowned jazz saxophonist and composer of the suite "A Love Supreme" who lived with his extended family at 118 Underhill St. from 1928 to 1943. His family was headed by his maternal grandfather, Rev. W.W. Blair, who built the house. An ex-slave and outspoken activist, Blair was elected Chowan County Commissioner in 1896 and later became a presiding elder of the AME Zion Church. In High Point, he led a citizen group that successfully lobbied for additional schools for African-American children. Coltrane owed his stable upbringing and early musical education to his grandfather's efforts.