Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
Date | Event |
---|---|
1915, Nov. 29 | Born, Dayton, Ohio to Lillian and James Strayhorn |
1920 | Strayhorn family moved to Pittsburgh |
circa 1926 | Sold newspapers and performed odd jobs to purchase a piano and take lessons |
1927 | Enrolled at Westinghouse High School, Pittsburgh |
1933-1936 | Composed "Lush life" |
1934 | Attended a Duke Ellington Orchestra concert for the first time in Pittsburgh Composed "Valse" and "#2" (also a waltz) |
1935, Nov. 6 | Premiered his musical revue, Fantastic Rhythm |
1938 Dec. | Met Duke Ellington after a performance in Pittsburgh |
1939 | Composed "Take the "A" train" |
1939 Jan. | Formally joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra Moved to New York |
Early 1940s | Composed many hit songs for the Duke Ellington Orchestra, including "Chelsea Bridge", "Rain check", and "Passion flower" |
1941 | Composed "A flower is a lovesome thing" |
1941, July 10 | Jump for Joy, a collaborative musical by Strayhorn and Ellington intended to showcase African-American talent, opened at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles |
1949 | First commercial recording of "Lush life" by Nat "King" Cole released |
Early 1950 | Joined the Copasetics, a Harlem-based tap-dance group, as resident-composer. Strayhorn later became the organization's president |
1960 | Took up residence in Paris |
1961 | Recorded The Peaceful Side in Paris, his first studio solo album |
1963 | Toured the Middle-East and South-Asia with the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the auspices of the U.S. State Department |
1964 | Diagnosed with esophageal cancer |
1967 | Composed final work, "Blood count" |
1967, May 31 | Died, New York City |
1967, June 5 | Second funeral held by Duke Ellington, as he and his orchestra were in Reno, Nevada, and thus could not attend the first |