Talk:Duke Ellington

Birthdays

Has anyone else noticed that the abstract has April 29,1899, while the Early Life section has the day as April 15, 1879. That's wrong I believe. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Eplack (talk • contribs)

Actually, the 1879 date is his father's birth. I'm not sure why someone thought a biography of his parents belonged in the Early Life section. I suppose that -20 is a tender age, but that's a little excessive. JordeeBec 16:24, 10 October 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for clearing that up. 199.242.176.66 (talk) 23:08, 9 October 2025 (UTC)

P.S. Sign your posts on talk pages. JordeeBec

April 23, 1898 Farmhand23 (talk) 02:17, 26 December 2019 (UTC)

Missing biography

There should probably be some mention of Ellington biographer Stuart Nicholson (jazz historian) or better yet use of his biography on Ellington in this article.4meter4 (talk) 20:52, 9 January 2023 (UTC)

(Here, he moved in with a dancer, his second wife Mildred Dixon).

This sentence in parentheses is found under "Cotton Club Engagement." The word "he" should be defined, and if it is referring to Duke Ellington, the information appears to conflict with other data about his first marriage, which is reported to have lasted for almost 50 years until his wife's death in 1967. 43.225.189.111 (talk) 14:34, 14 August 2025 (UTC)

Three Black Kings

Shouldn't we add a mention of Ellington's orchestral composition Three Black Kings? It was his final work, intended as a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. Ellington left the piece unfinished at his death, and his son Mercer Ellington, along with arranger Luther Henderson, completed and orchestrated it for performance. The three-movement piece connects past and present by portraying King alongside the biblical kings Solomon and Balthazar. ~2025-38512-18 (talk) 14:03, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

It is included now. - Derek R Bullamore (talk) 22:06, 7 February 2026 (UTC)

Jimmy Grissom

I am no fan of jazz, but have recently read some information relating to Grissom. I am surprised to find no mention of him in this article. Was his vocal input over a number of years completely insignificant ? - Derek R Bullamore (talk) 17:42, 30 December 2025 (UTC)