Continuing our look at Miles Davis’s album art, here is Cortez "Corky" McCoy—an American illustrator, photographer, videographer, and designer who was a close friend, even one of Davis’s best friends, in the 1970s.
It’s a time when funk and jazz fusion are gaining ground and pushing limits. And Corky McCoy plays a huge part in how people see Miles Davis’s groundbreaking music—he’s the one who turns Davis’s sonic inventions into vibrant, unforgettable street scenes.

​​As close friends, they share more than just a creative vision. Their deep friendship inspires McCoy’s artistic contributions, beginning with the iconic cover for Davis’s 1972 album On the Corner.
At this point, Miles Davis is at a crossroads in his career. He wants to reach young Black audiences who feel alienated by jazz purists and mainstream marketing. He needs album art that speaks authentically—and McCoy delivers it with his “ghettodelic” cartoon-style portraits of funk fashion, street life, and Black political symbols like berets and leather jackets that echo the Black Panther movement.

 

The On the Corner cover not only reflects the funk-influenced beats of the music inside, but also captures the lively and complicated Black Power culture of the early 1970s. McCoy’s art makes the funk era’s urban energy visible before we even press play.

Looking closer at the art itself: the people on the On the Corner cover wear Afrocentric and pan-African colors, blending political meaning with street style. The cover features bold and expressive depictions of Black women and includes queer representation — notably inspired by Davis’s openly gay brother and the writer James Baldwin, making a rare and political statement about Black queer visibility at the time.

According to Elliot H. Powell (*), Miles Davis’s interest in fashion also ties into McCoy’s visuals. Around this time, Davis often shops at Hernando’s, a queer-leaning leather and suede store in New York’s West Village—elements that resonate with the stylistic details in McCoy’s artwork.

(*) Elliot H. Powell’s book Sounds From the Other Side has been the key resource for me when working on Corky McCoy and his art. The book is freely accessible and provides much more detail than I’ve summarized here. 🤓📚

​

Sonically, On the Corner marks a new chapter in Davis’s experimentation, defined by dense, layered funk rhythms amplified by electronic effects. Of particular note is his extensive use of the wah-wah pedal—a sound more often heard in rock, especially from players like Jimi Hendrix—which Davis adapts to give his trumpet a distinctive, vocal-like quality. This wild and electric use of the wah-wah pedal by Davis and his band members finds its visual twin in McCoy’s striking, cartoonish designs.

​​

Following On the Corner (1972), McCoy continues creating album art for Miles Davis — In Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall (1973), Big Fun (1974), and Water Babies (1976) — telling stories steeped in funk aesthetics and social commentary, perfectly matching Davis’s musical experimentation and cultural vision.​​​

​

Gülben - 10/2025

​​​​​

📖 An album cover art story on “The Music Aficionado”

📖 Daniel Miller writes for PerfectCircuit

​​

​