Special Guest Blog: Billy Strayhorn Tribute

-- by James Withers

My 2008 Gay Pride plans are set: For the whole week I’m blaring Duke Ellington music from my apartment. Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington never considered himself a political animal; for him life was about the music and everything else was a distant silver. Yet when he hired Billy Strayhorn, Ellington cemented his place in gay American history.

Strayhorn, born in Ohio and raised in Pennsylvania, was a musical prodigy. Classically trained he met Ellington in late 1938, and, excluding a few years in the 1950s when he went on his own, the two worked together until Strayhorn died in 1967. When you are grooving to various Ellington tunes like “Take The A-Train” or “Satin Doll”, those are Strayhorn compositions.

The Duke understood, for the most part, his stature as a composer had a whole lot to do with the man nicknamed “Sweet Pea.” When he described their relationship, Ellington said Strayhorn was "my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his in mine."

Yeah, I know. You are tired of the music history lesson, especially about musicians who never get any rotation at the Black Party, but give me a minute. Ellington’s line is important because Strayhorn was gay and out and the Duke did not care. And no need to get it twisted because Ellington did not use the “love the sinner, hate the sin” trick-bag so many people throw out. Ellington loved him without any conditions. Listen to a few of Strayhorn’s friends from David Hajdu’s Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn: “Duke Ellington afforded Billy Strayhorn that acceptance. That was something that cannot be undervalued or underappreciated. To Billy, that was gold.” Another friend said: “We all hid, every one of us, except Billy. He wasn't afraid. We were. And you know what the difference between us was? Duke Ellington.”

Strayhorn had no need for pretend wives and girlfriends, or tales of heterosexual bliss because in his corner was one of America’s important composers. Was Strayhorn’s life perfect? Nope. He died way too young (drinks and smokes did him in), but the emotional space that would have been used in creating a life that wasn’t his was spent on making music. The Duke wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.