Musicians

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1899, Duke Ellington

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1899, Duke Ellington was hailed by music critic Ralph J. Gleason as 'America's most important composer.' He led his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1924 until his death, composing or co-writing more than one thousand pieces, the largest recorded personal jazz legacy. Appearances at Harlem's Cotton Club established his national profile. A nearly thirty-five-year collaboration with Billy Strayhorn pushed the boundaries of big-band jazz. Embracing the phrase 'beyond category' as a guiding principle, he received a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Award in 1999.

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