Duke Ellington Makes First Recordings as the Washingtonians

In 1923, the Washingtonians—led by Duke Ellington—made some of their earliest commercial recordings as the group built their reputation at the Club Kentucky. These early sides document the band's evolution from a small dance combo into the ensemble that would eventually define sophisticated Black popular music. Ellington's compositional development accelerated under Fats Waller's influence at the Kentucky Club.