Edward Kennedy Ellington was born 1899 in Washington, D.C. An only child, he lived with his parents and grandparents. With the shadow of slavery hanging over their family (Ellington’s grandmother was a slave), Ellington’s parents did everything they could to provide a better life for their son. His mother went to great lengths to ensure that her son was cultured and refined. His unusually elegant manner earned him the nickname “Duke.”

As a child Ellington preferred baseball over music. He did not feel that he had a talent for piano playing. However, his discovery of ragtime music as a teenager ignited his enthusiasm for the instrument, and he began to study more seriously. He soon began to get gigs at clubs and bars, and he composed a few songs for the piano (mostly by ear). He worked a variety of odd jobs, from soda jerk to sign painter, to make a living. At the age of 18 he formed his first band, “Duke’s Serenaders,” and began to attract the attention of black and white audiences alike.

Ellington moved to New York City in 1920. Although he found it difficult to break into the jazz scene in a new city, he found his footing and became a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance (a cultural movement in New York’s exclusively black neighborhood). In 1923 he became the bandleader for “The Washingtonians.” His superior musicianship and charming personality, assisted by the promotional efforts of his agent, earned him a solid reputation both in the U.S. and in Europe.

Ellington wrote more than 1,000 songs over the course of his career. He resisted the term “jazz,” referring to his music instead as “American music.” Although his career was founded in swing, he sought to advance the jazz genre beyond dance music. He wrote a number of pieces such as “Creole Rhapsody,” “Black, Brown, and Beige,” and “Jump for Joy” about the African-American experience.

Ellington is considered the most important jazz composer in history. He was the recipient of 12 Grammy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an honorary PhD from the Berklee College of Music, and the French Legion of Honor.

Duke Ellington died of lung cancer in 1974. His big band has continued to play ever since, first under the direction of his son Mercer and then under his grandson Paul.