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HAPPY BIRTHDAY: TAKE THE A TRAIN

By "Captain Liberty" and "Rumpole"

In 1939, when Duke Ellington was living in the Bronx, NY, he invited a "Pittsburgh guy" named Billy Strayhorn to visit him. The directions included: "Once in New York, take the A train to Sugar Hill."Strayhorn arrived and wrote the song to show Ellington that he could write lyrics about anything, including directions to his house. In 1940 the American Society of Composers and Publishers issued a ruling that effectively prevented Ellington from playing his previous compositions over the radio. Ellington told Strayhorn to write a new book for the band. Strayhorn decided to save his A Train composition, and the recording that most of us associate with the song was recorded and aired for the first time on February 15, 1941. Site Feed

Full post as published by Justice Building Blog on February 15, 2009 (boomark / email).