His name was Edward Kennedy Ellington, but people just called him “Duke.” Born in 1899, he was a forerunner in the evolution of jazz. By the time Duke was nineteen, he was playing at parties, pool halls, and cabarets, and then in 1927 he entertained at the hottest place around, The Cotton Club in Harlem. But the defining moment of his career came when Duke and his orchestra gave a groundbreaking performance at Carnegie Hall, where they first performed his suite “Black, Brown, and Beige,” a tribute to the history of African American people. Beloved by jazz fans old and new, Duke Ellington, the “King of the Keys,” is a legend that continues to live on and influence musicians everywhere.

Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney have collaborated on several acclaimed picture books, including Alvin Ailey (a Reading Rainbow Selection) and the Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book Duke Ellington.

The two also have their successful solo careers: Andrea has written several novels, picture books, and works of nonfiction, including Silent Thunder; Raven in a Dove House; Fishing Day, illustrated by Shane Evans; and the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Let It Shine. Brian illustrated Karen Hesse’s The Stone Lamp: Eight Stories of Hanukkah Through History, won the Coretta Scott King Medal for Kim Seigelson’s In the Time of the Drums, and has two other Caldecott Honors to his credit. He has also written and illustrated several of his own books, including Cosmo and the Robot.