Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29th, 1899 in Washington, D.C. Ellington's passion for music was developed by his parents, who taught him how to be a proper gentleman and to understand the emotional power of Music. Duke would `listen to his mother play a popular piano tune called "The Rosary" and cry, saying, "It was so pretty. So pretty."' (www.americaslibrary.gov).

At about age eight, Duke received his first musical instruction on the piano. At first, Ellington did not take much interest in playing the piano. As a boy he enjoyed sports, such as baseball. His first job was selling peanuts at home games. Rather than attending an academic school, Ellington went to a creative arts school where he studied commercial and fine arts, as his parents wished.

Ellington began to get an appreciation for music at age 14 when he would sneak into Frank...