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“Freedom from hate, unconditionally; Freedom from self-pity (even through all the pain and bad news); Freedom from fear of possibly doing something that might possibly help another more than it might himself; and Freedom from the kind of pride that might make a man think that he was better than his brother or his neighbor.” – Billy Strayhorn’s “Four Major Moral Freedoms,” by Duke Ellington
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Billy Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967), c. 1947. Photo by Carl van Vechten.
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Billy Strayhorn, who was born one hundred and three years ago today, was a jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, best known for his decades-long collaboration with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington.
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As a teen, Strayhorn dreamed of being a classical composer, though the dream soon met the reality of the deeply-segregated musical world; classical music, in other words, was not open to black composers. At nineteen, Strayhorn’s attention turned to jazz, and it was around this time that he first saw Duke Ellington perform.
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In 1938, upon meeting Ellington, Strayhorn showed the bandleader how he would have arranged one of Sir Duke’s pieces; Ellington was so impressed that he set up a meeting between Strayhorn and the full band, marking the start of a partnership that lasted until Strayhorn’s death. The pair’s work together produced some of Ellington’s best-known pieces, including “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “Lush Life.”
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Throughout his career, Strayhorn was openly gay, and he had long-term relationships with Aaron Bridgers and Bill Grove.
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Billy Strayhorn died of esophageal cancer on May 31, 1967; he was fifty-one. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #BillyStrayhorn
