Duke Ellington - Biography.

Duke Ellington - Biography. American jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist Birth April 29, 1899 Death May 24, 1974 Place of Birth Washington, D.C. Principal New York City Residence Milestones 1923 Moved to New York and performed in clubs with his band, the Washingtonians 1927-1931 Performed regularly at the Cotton Club in New York City 1927 Composed 'Creole Love Call,' which has a vocal part but no words; Ellington composed for the voice as if it were a musical instrument 1930 Composed 'Mood Indigo' 1931 Began touring extensively in the United States and Europe 1932 Composed 'It Don't Mean a Thing,' one of the early compositions of the swing music craze of the 1930s and 1940s. 1939 Hired Billy Strayhorn, who would become Ellington's main musical collaborator 1943-1951 Performed periodically at Carnegie Hall in New York City 1943 First performed Black, Brown, and Beige, each section of which represented an aspect of black Americans' public or private life 1959 Composed his first motion picture score, writing the music for American director Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder 1965 Performed In the Beginning God, a liturgical composition, in San Francisco's Grace Cathedral Did You Know After Ellington died, his son, Mercer, took over Ellington's position as bandleader. Ellington composed more than 2000 pieces of music. Ellington received an Academy Award nomination for his score for the 1961 film Paris Blues. In 1969 Ellington was awarded the United States's Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1999 Ellington posthumously received a special award from the Pulitzer Prize board in recognition of his musical genius. Ellington's real name was Edward Kennedy Ellington. He was given the nickname Duke as a child because of his refined manners and bearing. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.