After deciding on piano lessons, his family placed him under the tutelage of the aptly named Mrs. Clinkscales. According to Ellington, the lessons did not go too well. He missed more lessons than he took. At this point in his life, at age ten or eleven, he didn't feel the piano was his recognized talent, and he didn't take it seriously. In his autobiography, Music Is My Mistress , Duke never mentions his father's family, with the exception of Sonny.
Estimates vary from fourteen to twenty members.
Sonny was a combination older brother, mentor, confidant, and role model for the young Ellington. He would arrive at the Ellington household on Saturday morning, and they would stay out until dinner, roaming the city. Together they would explore Rock Creek Park, the National Zoo, or the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Sonny was also an excellent athlete, renowned for his prowess in baseball and track. He taught Duke how to swim, and a year later, Ellington saved a boy from drowning.