One of the most important and influential jazz musicians of the 20th Century, Edward "Duke" Ellington led a band from the early 1920s until his death in 1974. He composed new material relentlessly, specifically writing to get the best out of his band members. In the late 20s his band earned a residency at Harlem's Cotton Club, which brought nationwide fame to Ellington, as their performances were often broadcast on the radio. Their 1931 recording of "Moon Indigo" became a standard and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"(1932) was a big hit that pre-empted the swing era.
Through the 30s and 40s, the Duke continued to score hit singles and regularly performed on tour, on films, and in stage musicals. His 1956 album, Ellington in Newport, was the most successful of his career, and freed Ellington to focus on less commercial, more ambitious compositions from then on. In 1959 he won three Grammys for his soundtrack to Anatomy of a Murder, and two years later he was nominated for an Oscar for work on Paris Blues. Through the decade he continued to tour, and he won five more Grammys before his death in 1974 from lung cancer.
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