Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974
Variant namesDuke Ellington (b. Edward Kennedy Ellington, April 29, 1899, Washington, DC–d. May 24, 1974, New York, NY) was a composer, pianist, and jazz orchestra leader. He began piano lessons at 7 and wrote his first composition, "Soda Fountain Rag", in 1914. Ellington became a more serious piano student as a teenager after hearing poolroom pianists in Washington, DC.
Ellington moved to Harlem, ultimately becoming part of the Harlem Renaissance in the early 1920s. He began a regular booking at the Cotton Club in 1927 which escalated him and his jazz orchestra to fame. He enjoyed a successful career through the 1940s but in the early 1950s his style was seen as outmoded. Performing at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1956 returned him to wider prominence and introduced him to a new generation of fans.
| Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
|---|---|---|---|
| referencedIn | Duke Ellington and His Orchestra (Et Son Orchestre) | National Archives at College Park | |
| referencedIn | Duke Ellington Honored by the Swedish Academy of Music | National Archives at College Park | |
| referencedIn | Program for Duke Ellington's Performance at the White House | Richard Nixon Library | |
| referencedIn | TV SATELLITE FILE NO. 057 | National Archives at College Park |
Filters:
| Relation | Name |
|---|---|
| memberOf | Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |
| associatedWith | American Museum of Vaudeville |
| associatedWith | Anderson, Ivie |
| associatedWith | Arlen, Harold, 1905-1986. |
| associatedWith | Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971 |
| associatedWith | Australian Broadcasting Commission. Tasmanian Branch. |
| associatedWith | Babs, Alice |
| associatedWith | Baird, Eugenie. |
| associatedWith | Baker, David, 1931- |
| associatedWith | Barer, Marshall. |
Person
Birth 1899-04-29
Death 1974-05-24
Americans
English
Variant Names
Shared Related Resources
Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974
| Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974 | Title |
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