ad a real yearning to play. I hadnt been able to get off the ground before, but after hearing him I said to myself, Man youre going to have to do it." Thus the music career of Duke Ellington was born. Duke was taken under the wings of Oliver "Doc" Perry and Louis Brown who taught Duke how to read music and helped improve his overall piano playing skills. Duke found piano playing jobs at clubs and cafes throughout the Washington area. Three months shy of graduation, Duke dropped out of school and began his professional music career.In late 1917, Duke formed his first group: The Dukes Serenaders. Between 1918 and 1919, Duke made three significant steps towards independence. First, he moved out of his parents home and into a home he bought for himself. Second, Duke became his own booking agent for his band. By doing so, Ellingtons band was able to play throughout the Washington area and into Virginia for private society balls and embassy parties. Finally, Duke married Edna Thompson and on March 11, 1919, Mercer Kennedy Ellington was born.In 1923, Duke left the security that Washington offered him and moved to New York. Through the power of radio, listeners throughout New York had heard of Duke Ellington, making him quite a popular musician. It is also in that year that Duke made his first recording. Ellington and his renamed band, The Washingtonians, established themselves during the prohibition era by playing at places like the Exclusive Club, Connies Inn, the Hollywood Club (Club Kentucky), Ciros, the Plantation Club, and most importantly the Cotton Club. Thanks to the rise in radio receivers and the industry itself, Dukes band was broadcast across the nation live on "From the Cotton Club." The bands music along with their popularity spread rapidly. In 1928, Ellington and Irving Mills signed an agreement in which Mills produced and published Ellingtons music. Recording companies like Brunswick, Columbia, and Victor came calling. Dukes ba...
