Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy “Duke”
Ellington was born in Washington D.C. in
1899. He is known for his piano playing, band leading and especially
for being one of America’s greatest composers. Duke
Ellington wrote over 3,000 songs and his career lasted over 50
years.
Duke grew up in a loving family. He was very
close to his mother. She always encouraged him and made sure he was
brought up the right way. From his father, Duke
learned manners, proper grammar and a stylish
way of talking. Mr. Ellington was an
experienced butler who had even worked a the White House for Teddy
Roosevelt.
Teddy Roosevelt
While he was growing up, Duke was mostly
interested in baseball and art. One day, after Duke was accidentally hit in the head with a baseball bat. Mrs. Ellington decided to
start Duke on piano lessons. She thought it
would be a safer activity. Duke however, didn’t like piano lessons at all, and his parents finally gave
up on his music training.
It wasn’t until he was a teenager that Duke
became interested in the piano. While washing dishes for his summer
job, a waiter invited him to go hear the great
ragtime pianist Harvey Brooks, just a little older than Duke. Duke loved his playing and decided to give the piano another
chance. Although he got advice from talented local players, he learned to play the piano pretty
much on his own.
Around 1917, Duke and some of his
friends formed a small band called the
Washingtonians. They played at parties,
dances and clubs all over Washington, D.C.
In 1918, Duke got married. He and his
wife and a son, Mercer in 1919.
Duke knew that in order to make it as a musician and support his family, he and his friends would have to go to New York City. New York was where all the great jazz bands were playing. While in NYC, a talented trumpet player named Bubber Miley (who knew a lot about jazz music) joined The Washingtonians. He gave the group a hot new sound and
in 1927 Duke’s band was playing in the most famous spot in all of NYC—The Cotton Club. By this time they had changed their name to
The Duke Ellington Orchestra.
By 1940 Duke Ellington had one of the most popular
bands in the United States. They made radio broadcasts, records and appearances all over the country. Unfortunately, in many cities where Duke
played, there were people who were prejudiced
against African-Americans. Sometimes Duke and his band had a
hard time getting hotel rooms or service in a
restaurant.
Duke refused to be treated badly and decided to travel with his band members in their own private train cars. The
railroad would leave Duke’s cars parked on an unused track until they were ready to move on. Now Duke and his
orchestra could eat, sleep and live comfortably when they arrived in a strange town.
Duke won many honors for his
music, including the Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 1969.
This is the highest award a private citizen
can receive in the United States.
Duke’s orchestra enjoyed immense popularity and won over twelve Grammy awards. Then in 1950, people started becoming more interested in new types of music, like rock and roll. Duke’s style of jazz seemed old fashioned.
Duke was disappointed but he never gave up. He continued working and performing and finally in 1956 something happened
to put Duke back on top.
His band was invited to play the closing music for a jazz festival in Newport,
Rhode Island. It was late at night when Duke and his orchestra came on stage. The audience was tired and people were starting to leave. Duke knew they would
have to give a spectacular performance to keep everyone’s attention.
As Duke’s orchestra began playing, people went wild. They started dancing in the
isles and standing on their chair cheering for the band members. One of his
saxophonists gave a solo that lasted six minutes. The crowd was so excited by the performance that there was nearly a riot. They loved what they were hearing and the next day the story was in all the
newspapers.
After the Newport Jazz Festival, Duke and his orchestra were popular
once again and performed all over the world. They remained popular until his death
in 1974.