By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world’s greatest composers and musicians. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for royalty and for the common people, and by the end of his 50-year career, he had played over 20,000 performances worldwide. He was The Duke, Duke Ellington.

Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C. Duke attended Armstrong Manual Training School to study commercial art instead of an academics-oriented school. Duke began to seek out and listen to ragtime pianists in Washington and, during the summers, in Philadelphia or Atlantic City, where he and his mother vacationed.

While vacationing in Asbury Park, Duke heard of a popular pianist named Harvey Brooks. At the end of his vacation, Duke sought Harvey out in Philadelphia, where Harvey showed Duke some pianist tricks and shortcuts. Duke later recounted that, “When I got home I had a real yearning to play. I hadn’t been able to get off the ground before, but after hearing him, I said to myself, ‘Man, you’re going to have to do it.'” Thus, the music career of Duke Ellington was born.