MUSICIAN

Duke Ellington

1899 - 1974

Photo of Duke Ellington

Icon of person Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards. He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan", which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Duke Ellington has received more than 7,569,095 page views. His biography is available in 70 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 69 in 2019). Duke Ellington is the 61st most popular musician (up from 91st in 2019), the 357th most popular biography from United States (up from 533rd in 2019) and the 16th most popular American Musician.

Duke Ellington is most famous for being a jazz composer and pianist. He was also a bandleader and arranger.

Memorability Metrics

  • 7.6M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 73.20

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 70

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 6.52

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 5.14

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Duke Ellington ranks 61 out of 3,175. Before him are Roger Taylor, Vladimir Horowitz, Brian Jones, Benny Andersson, Baroness Mary Vetsera, and Cliff Burton. After him are John Deacon, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, Björn Ulvaeus, Charlie Watts, Ritchie Blackmore, and Django Reinhardt.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1899, Duke Ellington ranks 14. Before him are Frederick IX of Denmark, Lavrentiy Beria, Yasunari Kawabata, Humphrey Bogart, László Bíró, and Fred Astaire. After him are Francis Poulenc, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, Miguel Ángel Asturias, Adnan Menderes, Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, and Béla Guttmann. Among people deceased in 1974, Duke Ellington ranks 13. Before him are Lyudmila Pavlichenko, James Chadwick, Vittorio De Sica, Pär Lagerkvist, U Thant, and Baldur von Schirach. After him are Virginia Apgar, Imre Lakatos, Julius Evola, Miguel Ángel Asturias, Rudolf Dassler, and David Oistrakh.

Others Born in 1899

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Others Deceased in 1974

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Duke Ellington ranks 357 out of 20,380. Before him are Rachel Carson (1907), Jack Lemmon (1925), Spencer Tracy (1900), Oliver Stone (1946), Cliff Burton (1962), and Nicole Kidman (1967). After him are Ella Fitzgerald (1917), Willem Dafoe (1955), Christopher Lloyd (1938), Anna Nicole Smith (1967), Mike Tyson (1966), and Romina Power (1951).

Others born in United States

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Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Duke Ellington ranks 16. Before him are Chuck Berry (1926), Ronnie James Dio (1942), Miles Davis (1926), B.B. King (1925), Bruce Springsteen (1949), and Cliff Burton (1962). After him are Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (1959), Dean Martin (1917), Yehudi Menuhin (1916), Robert Johnson (1911), Iggy Pop (1947), and Steven Van Zandt (1950).

American born Musicians

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