Duke Ellington

Acting

Born 29 April 1899Died 24 May 1974 (aged 75)Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem.