15 Oct
127: “Take the ‘A’ Train” becomes Duke Ellington’s signature tune
In the late 1930s, young composer Billy Strayhorn met Duke Ellington. Duke told him he would be in touch again in the near future, but time went by and Strayhorn heard nothing. He got in touch with Ellington’s office and found out the band was playing in Harlem. Strayhorn then traveled to New York to impress Ellington but, fearing his tenacity might not be enough to impress, Strayhorn also wrote a composition using the travel instructions Ellington’s office had given him to get to the band’s venue. Those directions said to “Take the ‘A’ Train.” It became the signature tune of Duke Ellington’s band, often used to open Ella Fitzgerald’s shows.