Miles Davis' reputation -- musical legacy aside -- is checkered, to say the least. But ex-wife Cicely Tyson the period of her life she spent with Davis is one that she cherishes no matter what rumors -- or truths -- may be circulating.
At the time, Davis and Tyson were a power couple comparable to our age's Jay Z and Beyoncé, but that hasn't done much to veil the misogyny often attributed to Miles Davis. His record of alcoholism and violence towards women is one quintessential to his place in music history.
Francis Miles pointed out his attitudes in a reviewed statement:
"His treatment of women is contemptible: he isn't averse to slugging them to keep them in line. It isn't bad enough that he talks with unconvincing remorse of hitting his own women; the story intended to illustrate Billy Eckstine's tough-guy credentials has Eckstine slapping a would-be girlfriend while Davis looks on approvingly. He is spiteful toward the actress Cicely Tyson, the most recent of his ex-wives."
Tyson, who made her acting debut in 1956 in the movie Carib Gold, does not participate in the defamation of Davis' character. Granted he is deceased, Ms. Tyson still finds her time with the musician was one of a unique and higher quality.
"I don't really talk about [my time with Miles Davis], but I will say this - I cherish every single moment that I had with him," Tyson told CBS.
Nearly 60 years on, Ms. Tyson is still an active member of the theater and film community, with multiple awards to date and even a school named after her (the Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts) her word, or lack there of, is one to boot.
Check out a clip of Tyson's master class below.
