Duke Ellington Dies
by: Dr. Clint Wilson
Although the nation mourned the passing of legendary musician Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, everyone knew that his timeless compositions would be with them forever. After all, Ellington had left behind such classics as “Take the A Train” and “Satin Doll” and the strains of his music were heard everywhere as the world took time to remember.
Ellington, who was a composer, bandleader and jazz pianist, acquired the nickname “Duke” at an early age because of his penchant for stylish attire and rather aristocratic demeanor. Although born and reared in Washington, D.C., Ellington moved to New York in 1923 under the encouragement of pianist “Fats” Waller.
He gained widespread popularity a few years later during his band’s four-year engagement at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club where his genius was exposed to a national radio audience.
When cancer claimed the Duke at age 75 in 1974 it was difficult for his legions of fans and admirers to accept. But by then music lovers understood – as the title of one of Ellington’s compositions suggested – that “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”
A week after his death the Chicago Courier’s Carol Coleman wrote about what Duke Ellington meant to black Americans.
DUKE, WE LOVE YOU MADLY – EVEN IN DEATH
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