Duke Ellington

Hello! My name is Edward Kennedy Ellington. But everyone called me "Duke." I grew up in a place called Washington, D.C. My home was always full of wonderful things like art and music. My mommy and daddy loved them very much. Do you know how I got my nickname? It's because I was always very polite. I also liked to dress up in my best clothes. People said I looked just like a duke, so the name stayed with me my whole life!

When I was a boy, I learned to play the piano. At first, I did not want to practice my lessons. It didn't seem like much fun. But then, I heard a new kind of music that made me want to tap my feet. It was a bouncy, happy sound called jazz! I loved it so much that I wanted to play it, too. So I went back to the piano and started writing my own songs. I liked to think of my music as painting pictures, but instead of using paint, I used sounds.

When I grew up, I made a team of my own. It was a big band with lots of wonderful musicians, called an orchestra. We played my music together. We traveled all over the world on trains and boats to play our happy music for everyone. We played in big cities and small towns so that people everywhere could hear our songs and feel joyful. It was my favorite thing to do. I lived to be 75 years old. My music is still played today, and I hope it still makes people smile and dance. It makes me happy to know my songs are still bringing joy to the world.