Duke Ellington
By: Lindsey Fauske
What is He Known for?
Duke Ellington was born in Washington D.C. He began his musical career when he was 7 by taking piano lessons. Duke's music career began professionally when he was 17 when he fell in love with ragtime. Ellington began a six-man band but it quickly grew to a 10-man ensemble. With this band he composed the album "Nikki" which included the song "Take the "A" Train". Along with his band "Duke Ellington and the Cotton Club Orchestra" he also played with well known musicians such as Johnny Coltrane, Ivie Anderson, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Lifetime
Birth: April 29, 1899
Death: May 24, 1974
Struggles
One of Ellington's major struggles was the change in music tastes after World War II. During this time it was challenging for Ellington to keep his band together, but he persevered. Another struggle of his was wether he would devote his time to his studies or his music. For a while he did with but near the end of his high school career he got a scholarship to The Pratt Institute, but he respectfully declined and started the path of music. Ellington's finally struggle was when he was diagnosed with lung cancer and later died of pneumonia.
Adjectives
1. Hardworking
2. Genuine
3. Optimistic
How did he impact the world?
Duke Ellington impacted the world because he changed jazz forever.
Fun Fact
Duke Ellington composed over 2,000 pieces of music.