Francis Edward "Duke" Ellington was one of the greatest and most influential jazz musicians in American history. He was born in Washington, DC and attended school in the District of Columbia and in Richmond, VA. His father, Edward Ellington, worked at the Treasury Department and his mother, Mary Ellington, was a housekeeper for a wealthy family. While attending high school in Washington, Duke formed his first band and began playing gigs in local clubs
Read more
He also studied music theory with Frank Lennox Anderson, a music teacher who had once been a concert pianist. After graduating from high school in 1924, he went to New York City to study at the Institute of Musical Art (later renamed Juilliard School), where he studied piano and composition with Lennox Anderson and conducting with Fritz Reiner for two years (1924-26). In New York City he met and played with several prominent jazz musicians including Fletcher Henderson and Joe King Oliver.
In 1927, Duke formed his first band that consisted of eight musicians: vocalist Buster Bailey; trumpeter Don Byas; trombonist Jack Webb; saxophonists Jimmy Blanton and Jimmy Woode; guitarist Eddie Lang; bassist Charlie Anderson; drummer Chubby Jackson; and himself on piano.
The band played its first concert on May 17 at the Roseland Ballroom in Harlem.
His new band's name came from Ellington's love of the music hall song "I'm Just Wild About Harry". The band played dance halls all over New York City including Sydney's Little Annie Rooney's Lounge, Little Sister's Room, Eltinge's Ballroom, Cocker's Inn, Frederick House Ballroom, Apollo Theater's Savoy Ballroom, La Martinique Night Club's Rose Room, Reno Sweeney's Dance Hall.
In 1929 he decided to hire new musicians to play with him including trumpeter Johnny Hodges who would later go on to work with him for many decades until their retirement in 1980. That same year he formed another big band called the Ellington Orchestra consisting of several more musicians including trumpeter Barney Bigard who had worked with Duke previously on several concerts.
Lyrics were written for Bigard by Duke although they are not included in some versions of his works. They are included on two recordings of this song which feature different lyrics written by Duke: one featuring Bigard singing them while the other features Duke singing them. This song is also included on his album Black
