The Jazz Messengers were perhaps the most influential jazz combo that has ever existed. Their existence spanned over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s, and ended when their leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. In the prime of their career they were touring the world and recording an album almost every year. After its early onset the group quickly evolved into a proving ground for young jazz talent. While veterans occasionally re-appeared in the group, by and large, each iteration of the Messengers included a lineup of new young players. Having the Messengers on one's resume was a rite of passage in the jazz world, and conveyed immediate bona fides. Many Messenger alumni went on to become jazz stars in their own right, such as: Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Timmons, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Chuck Mangione, Keith Jarrett, Woody Shaw, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison and Mulgrew Miller. Art Blakey once said about his group: "I'm gonna to stay with the youngsters. When these get too old, I'm gonna get some younger ones. Keeps the mind active."