Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington is considered to be America’s greatest composer, bandleader, and recording artist, as well as pianist. His father was James Edward Ellington; a white house butler, and had Duke on April 29th, 1899 and began learning piano from age seven; influenced by amazing piano players such as James P. Johnson, Willie “the Lion” Smith and Fats Waller. He earned the nickname Duke for his gentleman behavior. Ellington is a major figure in the history of jazz music; he created one of the most distinctive ensemble sounds in Western Music.
At the age of fifteen, Ellington wrote his first composition “Soda Fountain Rag” which was inspired by his by his job as a soda jerk. He was awarded an art scholarship to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, but he decided to play ragtime professionally at age seventeen. Two years later Ellington married Edna Thompson, his high school sweet heart. They attended Armstrong Technical High School. They had only one child; Mercer Kennedy Ellington. On May 24th,
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The band was a five-piece group, and gained their residency in the Time Square venue the Hollywood Club, and they made their first songs in November 1924. Over time, the band gradually grew; Ellington sought out musicians with unique styles such as James “Bubber” Miley (a trumpeter), Joe Nanton (a trombone player), and Johnny Hodges (an alto saxophonist). Ellington’s first signature song was “East St. Louis Toodle-oo,” which was first recorded for Vocalion Records November 1926; fortunately, it became their first chart single for Columbia in July 1927. December 4th, 1927 the band moved to the Cotton Club in Harlem, and stayed there for at least three years; due to radio broadcast Ellington became nationally known. In 1928 Ellington had two two-sided hits: “Black and Tan Fantasy”\”Creole Love Call” and “Doin’ the New Low Down”\”Diga Diga