Duke Ellington
By James Kiscaden and Sydney Chen
One of Jazz's Finest
The man was born April 29 1899 and died May 24 1974.
Duke Ellington played a lot of jazz music on his piano and in his band, this is why he's famous. He was an American composer pianist and band leader of jazz orchestras.
Fun Facts
- His last words were, "music is how I live, why I live, and how I'll be remembered".
- He received 13 grammy awards.
- He was awarded French Legion of Honor in 1973