Brother Duke Ellington
was born Edward Kennedy
Ellington in Washington,
DC in 1899. A world-renowned
composer, conductor, and
pianist, he began to play
professionally at the age
of 17. As a teenager he
first became serious about
the piano and sought to
emulate local ragtime pianists.
Although dismissed from
at least two large ensembles,
he was able to play with
small groups and eventually
started booking jobs, sending
out units under the name
of Duke Ellington's Serenaders.
As Ellington's knowledge
of music grew so did his
skill and thus popularity.
After completing a successful
European tour, he arrived
back in the US to help inaugurate
the Swing Era. For the rest
of his life Ellington's
ingenious musical style
would delight and fascinate
many. His compositions were
known for their modified
concerto form and central
solo instrumental passages.
Among his most famous songs
are "Mood Indigo"
(1931), "Sophisticated
Lady" (1933), and "Solitude."
Secret
societies are among the oldest of mankind's
institutions. click here for more
The more
modern origins of Black fraternities and sororities
and their African link begins oddly enough in
Europe. click here for more
George GM James'
"Stolen Legacy," a recommended reading
of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. click here for more
Prince Hall,
a child of the is one of the first blacks in America
to recognize the link between Africa and Egypt click here for more
