Duke Ellington, an iconic figure in black history, was a songwriter, pianist, and leader of his music band. He brought so much recognition to jazz music and scored thousands of songs for over half a century. He was born to James Edward Ellington and Daisy Ellington on April 29, 1899, in Washington. DC. His parents were pianists and at the early age of seven, he started learning how to play the piano. His parents did their best to support him, made him understand the meaning of racial pride and equality, and also protected him from the harmful laws that existed then. His mother also placed dignified teachers around him to teach him manners and elegance which distinguished him from his childhood peers so they gave him the name “Duke”.
At age 15, Ellington composed his debut “Soda Fountain Rag” inspired by his work as a soda jerk and at 17 he took his passion for ragtime to the next stage and began playing professionally. In 1917 when he was 19 years old, he married Edna Thompson, his girlfriend from high school and they had a son, Mercer Kennedy Ellington. Ellington became the band leader of an ensemble that grew to 11 members in the 1920s. He carefully selected the members of his group and ensured that they were talented and unique in their style. Together with the members of his group, he composed over a hundred songs.
There are two kinds of worries – those you can do something about
Duke Ellington
and those you can’t. Don’t spend any time on the latter.
The band continued to blossom and by 1927 it got an engagement at the Cotton Club which increased its audience. This also gave Ellington and his band national recognition with the weekly radio broadcast that the Cotton Club provided and the presence of top clientele that came to the club. Some of Ellington’s music included “CottonTail”, “Ko-Ko”, “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing”, “Solitude”, “Satin Doll”, “Concerto for Cootie”, and many more.
In 1939, Billy Strayhorn, an arranger, composer, and pianist became a member of the group and he had a major influence on Ellington’s music. Strayhorn supported Ellington in his music career as he contributed to his achievement. He composed some popular songs with Ellington like “Take A Train” which influenced jazz music performance and composition greatly.
Music, of course, is what I hear and something that I more or less live by.
Duke Ellington
It’s not an occupation or profession, it’s a compulsion.
Ellington died of Lung Cancer on May 24, 1974, and was laid to rest in Woodlawn Cemetery, New York City with over 12,000 people who attended the burial. He won the Pulitzer Prize special award for music in 1999 after his death.