Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was

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 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death.

Biography

Early life and education

Ellington was born in Washington, D.C., United States. He was the only child of the composer, pianist, and bandleader

and his high school sweetheart Edna Thompson (d. 1967). Ellington grew up primarily in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

from the age of eight. By the age of eighteen, Ellington had written his first piece to be recorded by his father ("Pigeons and Peppers"). Ellington attended New College for the Education of Teachers at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

and the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

Career

In 1939, 1959, and 1946 through 1949, Ellington led his own bands, many of whose members later performed with his father, or achieved a successful career in their own right (including

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

Kenny Dorham McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public ...

Idrees Sulieman Idrees Sulieman (August 7, 1923 – July 23, 2002) was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter. Biography He was born Leonard Graham in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, later changing his name to Idrees Sulieman, after converting to Is ...

Chico Hamilton Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton (September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleader ...

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians an ...

, and

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

). During the 1940s, in particular, Ellington wrote pieces that became

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

, including "

Things Ain't What They Used to Be "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" is a 1942 jazz standard with music by Mercer Ellington and lyrics by Ted Persons. Background In 1941 there was a strike against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, of which Duke Ellington ...

", "Jumpin' Punkins", "Moon Mist", and "Blue Serge". Ellington also wrote the lyrics to Hillis Walters' popular song, "Pass Me By" (1946), which was recorded by

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

and

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

. Ellington composed for his father from 1940 until 1941, and later worked as road manager for

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Y ...

' orchestra (1941 until 1943 and again in 1954). Ellington returned to work for his father playing

alto horn The tenor horn (British English; alto horn in American English, Althorn in Germany; occasionally referred to as E horn) is a brass instrument in the saxhorn family and is usually pitched in E. It has a bore that is mostly conical, like the flu ...

in 1950, and then as general manager and

copyist A copyist is a person that makes duplications of the same thing. The term is sometimes used for artists who make copies of other artists' paintings. However, the modern use of the term is almost entirely confined to music copyists, who are emplo ...

from 1955 until 1959. In 1960, Ellington became

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

's musical director, then later went on take a job as a radio DJ in New York for three years beginning in 1962. In 1965, Ellington again returned to his father's orchestra, this time as trumpeter and road manager. When his father died in 1974, Ellington took over the orchestra, traveling on tour to Europe in 1975 and 1977. (His son Edward Ellington played in the band in the late 1970s. His son Paul Mercer Ellington took it over at a later date.) In the early 1980s, Ellington became the first conductor for a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical of his father's music, '' Sophisticated Ladies'' which ran from 1981 until 1983. Mercer's '' Digital Duke'' won the 1988 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. From 1982 until early 1990s, the Duke Ellington Orchestra included Barrie Lee Hall, Rocky White, Tommy James,

Gregory Charles Royal Gregory Charles Royal, also known as Chuck Royal, is an American musician, trombonist, composer, writer, co-founder of '' The BeBop Channel''. founder of the New York Jazz Film Festival, a judge on '' America's Hot Musician''. and the artistic d ...

, J.J. Wiggins, Onzy Matthews, and Shelly Carrol among others.

Death and legacy

Ellington died of a heart attack on February 8, 1996 at age 76.Watrous, Peter
"Mercer Ellington, 76, Leader of Father's Band"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. February 10, 1996. Retrieved 2013-03-22. His daughter Mercedes Ellington is president of the Duke Ellington Center for the Arts. After Ellington died, his son Paul became the executor of both his and the Duke Ellington estate and kept the Duke Ellington Orchestra alive. Ellington's eldest grandson, Edward Kennedy Ellington II, is also a musician and maintains a small salaried band known as the Duke Ellington Legacy, which frequently comprises the core of the big band operated by The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts.

Personal life

His daughter Mercedes was born in 1939 to Ruth Batts. Ellington was married three times. His first marriage was to Evelyn Walker from 1942 until 1976, with whom he had two children: Gayl Ellington and Edward Ellington II. Ellington's second marriage was to singer and actress

in April 1961. The marriage was later annulled in June of that year after it was determined Ellington's previous

Mexican divorce In the mid-20th century, some Americans traveled to Mexico to obtain a "Mexican divorce". A divorce in Mexico was easier, quicker, and less expensive than a divorce in most U.S. states, which then only allowed at-fault divorces requiring extensive ...

was invalid. His third marriage was to Lene Margrethe Scheid from 1978 until his death in 1996. Together, Ellington and Scheid had one child, Paul Ellington (b. 1979).

Discography

As leader

* ''Steppin' into Swing Society'' (

Coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...

, 1958) * ''Colors in Rhythm'' (Coral, 1959) * ''Black and Tan Fantasy'' (

MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gen ...

, 1974) * ''Continuum'' (

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

, 1975) * ''

Hot and Bothered (A Re-Creation) ''Hot and Bothered (A Re-Creation)'' is an album by American bandleader Mercer Ellington recorded in 1984 and released on the Doctor Jazz label the following year.

'' ( Doctor Jazz, 1985) * '' Digital Duke'' ( GRP, 1987) * ''Music Is My Mistress'' ( Musicmasters, 1989) * ''Take the Holiday Train'' (Special Music, 1992) * ''Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Guest Mercer Ellington'' (Jazz Alliance, 1994) * ''Only God Can Make a Tree'' (Musicmasters, 1996)

As arranger

With

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duk ...

* '' Duke with a Difference'' (Riverside, 1957)

References

External links

* Mercer Ellington— brief biography by Scott Yanow, for Allmusic. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellington, Mercer 1919 births 1996 deaths 20th-century jazz composers African-American jazz composers African-American jazz musicians American jazz bandleaders American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Big band bandleaders Duke Ellington Orchestra members Grammy Award winners Musicians from Washington, D.C. Swing trumpeters 20th-century American composers American male jazz composers American jazz composers People from Harlem 20th-century American male musicians Jazz musicians from New York (state)