(Jones 47).
Duke's first composition was a song called "Soda Fountain Rag-. He wrote it while working in the Poodle Dog Café. He was fourteen years old. One night at a tavern, the piano player had taken ill. Duke was encouraged by his friends to volunteer. That night, he played his only song. But he played it as a waltz, tango, fox trot, and others. The audience never knew the difference (Turkell 81-85).
Ellington was an artist. At Armstrong High School, Duke loved to paint as well as play piano (Turkell 82). He had even received a scholarship to Pratt's institute of applied art. Luckily for music lovers, Duke turned it down opting instead for a musical career (Turkell 85). In later years, Duke would get through life by painting signs by day, playing piano at night.
Edna Thompson became Mrs. Ellington in 1918. Edna was Duke's, now 21, high school sweetheart. A year later, Mercer Ellington was born (Turkell 86). In the mid twenties, Duke left Edna, and went to live with a dancer named Mildred Dixon. In 1938, Duke left her, and finally settled down with Beatrice Evie' Ellis, another dancer (Ellington Biography). In 1935, Daisy Ellington was dying. Duke remained by her side, resting his head on her pillow, for three days. He wrote the piece "Reminiscing in Tempo- for her .
(Turkell 95). Duke's father died two years later. After that, things turned positive again. Duke's musicians were interpreting his thoughts, and finally hearing the sound of life through music. .
Duke Ellington became the leader of the Washingtonians when Elmer Snowden left the band (Hasking 84). Before that, he played for a short time with Louis Thomas. When Duke joined the Washingtonians, it consisted of few players: Otto Harwick, on bass and saxophone, Arthur Whetsel on trumpet, Elmer Snowden on banjo, Sonny Greer on drums, and Duke on piano. To receive publicity, Duke had the idea to put an advertisement in the telephone book (Turkell 85).
