Duke Ellington: A Spiritual Biography (Lives & Legacies)
Edward Kennedy Ellington, an icon of American music, is memorialized once again in the centennial year of his birth with this well-researched work. Although his music reflects sophistication, it also provides the foundation of American popular music. Ellington's personal style exuded a natural royalty, which he projected to audiences, earning him the name "Duke." Yet Steed finds that he was exceptionally protective of his privacy, full of personal complications, if not contradictions. Ellington displayed a commanding touch in his ability to bring people together and to bring out their best. This genius of Ellington's was attributed, in part, to his spiritual side, an element strongly present but often overlooked. Steed found evidence of this reflected in Ellington's work, performances, and in his own words. He saw himself as "God's messenger boy." It was Ellington's spiritual objective to share the wealth of his experience--his life, love, and talent--and to recognize the source of the deep well from which he drew. This book is a must read for fans of the Duke, music, and American music history.Vernon Ford