Conversation so far:
What happened in the late 1930s for Duke Ellington?
From 1936, Ellington began to make recordings with smaller groups drawn from his then-15-man orchestra and he composed pieces intended to feature a specific instrumentalist.
Who was a part of the group Duke Ellington worked with in the later 1930s when Ellington was more focused on composing to feature a specific instrumentalist?
Billy Strayhorn, originally hired as a lyricist, began his association with Ellington in 1939.
Did Duke Ellington produce any music with Billy Strayhorn?
Three-minute masterpieces on 78 rpm record sides continued to flow from Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Ellington's son Mercer Ellington, and members of the Orchestra.

Question: were the song successful?
Self-contained rewrite: Were the songs released from Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Ellington's son Mercer Ellington successful?