"Duke" Ellington
At the beginning of the 20th century, before the Harlem Renaissance, Washington D.C. was the social and cultural capital of Black America. From 1900 to 1920, it was this country's largest African American community because of Howard University and federal government jobs. Washington became a magnet for African American intellectuals, creating a thriving black middle class with their own churches, newspapers, businesses, and their own night life entertainment. This was a proud and elegant community that flourished despite the oppressive segregation that forced blacks to create their own identity.
Edward Kennedy Ellington, “The Duke” was born in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1899. As a boy, Ellington took piano lessons, but in his autobiography, Music Is My Mistress, he confessed that he did not like the piano in childhood. He apparently wanted to play baseball. Ellington started playing around Washington D.C. in his early teens. During this time he gained his nickname, "Duke," after a friend recommended that Ellington should have some sort of title. His royal nickname seemed appropriate for Duke because of his sophisticated manner and elegant way of dressing, which made him look like a young aristocrat.
By 1918 he had established a reputation as a bandleader and agent. In New York, jazz musicians wanted him. In 1923 Ellington moved to New York and formed his own band called the Washingtonians. Musicians and critics were noticing that Ellington's music was special even at this early point of his career. Ellington & the Washingtonians got their first big break in 1927, at the Cotton Club in Harlem. At the Cotton Club, he wrote some of his most well known compositions. The Duke's most important music was written specifically for his own band and soloists, enhancing the individual’s talent and characteristic sounds. This made his competition fail when they tried copying his music. He later formed the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which by 1930, grew to include 12 musicians and was achieving national recognition through recordings, radio broadcasts, and film appearances.
Ellington received numerous Grammy Awards throughout his career. He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1964, and Yale University awarded him a doctor of music degree in 1967. On his seventieth birthday, in 1969, President Richard Nixon awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1973, France awarded him the Legion of Honor. Both awards are the highest civilian honors each country could ever give. Ellington continued to compose and perform until his death from lung cancer on May 24, 1974, in New York City. His band, headed by his son Mercer, survived him. Ellington's legacy is that he remains one of the greatest talents in all of jazz, a remarkable feat considering the history of jazz is packed with legendary names. His influence over musicians is as important today as it was during Ellington's time.
Edward Kennedy Ellington, “The Duke” was born in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1899. As a boy, Ellington took piano lessons, but in his autobiography, Music Is My Mistress, he confessed that he did not like the piano in childhood. He apparently wanted to play baseball. Ellington started playing around Washington D.C. in his early teens. During this time he gained his nickname, "Duke," after a friend recommended that Ellington should have some sort of title. His royal nickname seemed appropriate for Duke because of his sophisticated manner and elegant way of dressing, which made him look like a young aristocrat.
By 1918 he had established a reputation as a bandleader and agent. In New York, jazz musicians wanted him. In 1923 Ellington moved to New York and formed his own band called the Washingtonians. Musicians and critics were noticing that Ellington's music was special even at this early point of his career. Ellington & the Washingtonians got their first big break in 1927, at the Cotton Club in Harlem. At the Cotton Club, he wrote some of his most well known compositions. The Duke's most important music was written specifically for his own band and soloists, enhancing the individual’s talent and characteristic sounds. This made his competition fail when they tried copying his music. He later formed the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which by 1930, grew to include 12 musicians and was achieving national recognition through recordings, radio broadcasts, and film appearances.
Ellington received numerous Grammy Awards throughout his career. He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1964, and Yale University awarded him a doctor of music degree in 1967. On his seventieth birthday, in 1969, President Richard Nixon awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1973, France awarded him the Legion of Honor. Both awards are the highest civilian honors each country could ever give. Ellington continued to compose and perform until his death from lung cancer on May 24, 1974, in New York City. His band, headed by his son Mercer, survived him. Ellington's legacy is that he remains one of the greatest talents in all of jazz, a remarkable feat considering the history of jazz is packed with legendary names. His influence over musicians is as important today as it was during Ellington's time.