Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials
name: label: Creator
content: Boatwright, Ruth Ellington, 1914-2004
label: Names
content: Tempo Music, Inc.
label: Names
content: Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974
topic: label: Topic
content: Jazz musicians -- United States
label: Topic
content: Jazz
label: Topic
content: Music -- 20th century
label: Topic
content: Musicians -- United States
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated to the National Museum of American History in 1991.  A second set of materials was received from Ruth Ellington Boatwright in 1993.
creator: label: Creator
content: Boatwright, Ruth Ellington, 1914-2004
setName: label: See more items in
content: Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials
abstract: label: Summary
content: The collection consists of correspondence, appointment books, business records, music manuscripts, sound recordings, photographs, and ephemera documenting the activities of Duke Ellington and the management of Tempo Music, Incorporated. There is a small amount of material relating to the Ellingotn family.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Born in 1915, Ruth Dorothea Ellington Boatwright was the sister and only sibling of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington.  Sheltered and doted upon, she was almost sixteen years younger than her brother.  She attended elementary and junior high schools in the Washington Metropolitan area and finished her basic schooling in New York City where the family moved in the early 1930s.  Her mother, Daisy, died there in 1935, followed by her father, J. E. in 1937. Sometime after those life altering events, Ms. Ellington graduated from the New College program at Columbia University with a degree in biology. 

In 1941, Duke Ellington established Tempo Music, and surprised his sister Ruth, by installing her as president of the company.  He had a strong desire to maintain control of his own publishing, television, and recording rights, and after his sister's graduation, Duke felt that she could assist in accomplishing this goal.

Ruth's duties at Tempo included signing contracts, arranging some travel at Duke's request, and, most importantly, keeping Duke's music copyrighted.  According to her own interview statement, she never arranged bookings.  Other interests included hosting a Sunday salon for musicians, appearing at and listening to recording studio sessions once or twice a year, and keeping in touch with the older band members' wives.  The older band members (i. e., Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Otto Hardwick, and Arthur Wetsol) along with the earlier singers (Ivie Anderson, Joya Sherrill, Marie Cole, and Kay Davis) were like family to Ruth.

In the 1950's, she was host of a radio program on WLIB in New York on which she interviewed guests including the writer Ralph Ellison.

Ruth Ellington's first marriage to Daniel James, a journalist and political scientist, produced two sons Michael and Stephen James.  This marriage ended in divorce and she later married McHenry Boatwright, an operatic baritone.  Boatright died in 1994. 

Ruth was active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.  She was a founder of the jazz ministry of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Manhattan and a friend of the first designated jazz pastor, the Reverend John Garcia Gensel. 

After Duke's death in 1974, Ruth maintained Tempo until 1995 when she sold fifty one percent of the company to a New York publishing firm, Music Sales.  Ruth Dorothea Ellington Boatwright died in 2004 at the age of 88 in Manhattan.  She was survived by her two sons.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 33 Cubic feet (77 boxes, 3 oversize folders)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1923–1992
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0415
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Business records
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Audiotapes
label: Type
content: Music
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Divided into eleven series: 

Series 1: Music Manuscripts, Scripts and Compositional Materials, 1930-1981, undated

Subseries 1.1: Music Manuscripts, undated  

Subseries 1.2: Published Books, 1943-1986, undated 

Subseries 1.3: Oversize Materials, undated  

Subseries 1.4: Music Manuscript Notebooks and Untitled Music, undated 

Subseries 1.5: Tempo Music, Incorporated Copyright Sheets of Non-Ellington Material, undated  

Subseries 1.6: Uncopyrighted Submissions, 1958-2002, undated 

Subseries 1.7: Notes, Scripts and Compositions, 1958-1969, undated 

Series 2: Business Records, 1923-1988, undated

Series 3: Performance Materials, 1951-1989, undated

Series 4: Publicity, 1935-1992, undated

Series 5: Awards and Recognition, 1936-1989, undated

Series 6: Correspondence, 1942-1991, undated

Series 7: Photographs, 1937-1990, undated

Series 8: Family Papers, 1911-1981, undated

Series 9: Other Artists, 1955-1986, undated 

Series 10: Harry Carney Materials, 1938-1959

Series 11: Audiovisual Materials, circa 1946-1970

Subseries 11.1: Sound Recordings, circa 1946-1970

Sub-subseries 11.1.1: Duke Ellington Concerts

Sub-subseries 11.1.2: Duke Ellington Volumes 1 through 58

Sub-subseries 11.1.3: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra

Sub-subseries 11.1.4: Duke Ellington Jazz Society Guest Talks 

Sub-subseries 11.1.5: Interviews

Sub-subseries 11.1.6: Miscellaneous

Sub-subseries 11.1.7: Non-Ellington Materials

Sub-subseries 11.1.8: 16" Transcription Discs

Subseries 11.2: Moving Images, 1929 - 1970
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Annie Kuebler, archivist; Deborra Richardson, archivist; Ted Hudson, volunteer, 2000; and Rebekah Keel, processing assistant, and Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist, 2015.

Details have been reported and incorporated for Series 1: Music Manuscripts based on the notes of Michael Kilpatrick, 2021.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Master and reference copies exist for all of the sound recordings. Only referencee copies may be used.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Business records -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence -- 1930-1950
label: Genre/Form
content: Audiotapes
label: Genre/Form
content: Music
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials includes music manuscripts (circa 1930-1981), sound recordings, Duke and Ruth Ellington's business and personal correspondence (1942-1991), business records covering the years 1923-1988, performances and programs covering the years 1951-1989, numerous awards and honors to Ellington and the orchestra, and personal papers relating to the Ellington family. Also among the materials are minutes of business meetings, letters, and newspaper clippings relating to the Duke Ellington Society in New York city, the certificate of incorporation and invitations for the Ellington Cancer Center, and slides, film, and home videos. The collection is arranged into eleven series.