ENDEIT
Billy Strayhorn
Photo: William P. Gottlieb / Adam Cuerden, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pianists · 1915–1967

Billy Strayhorn

American musician, composer, lyricist and arranger (1915–1967)

Born
29 November 1915
Dayton
Died
31 May 1967
New York City
Country
United States
Discography
9 albums

Biography

Billy Strayhorn was a jazz musician who played piano. Billy Strayhorn was born on 29 November 1915 in Dayton and died on 31 May 1967 in New York City. The music is usually filed under jazz. The discography here lists 9 albums, from “Cue for Saxophone” (1959) to “Reflections of Billy Strayhorn” (2024). Honours include Grammy Trustees Award (1968).

William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take the 'A' Train", "Chelsea Bridge", "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing", and "Lush Life".

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Discography

Studio and live albums

Cue for Saxophone 1959
The Peaceful Side of Jazz 1963
!!!Live!!! 1969 · Live
Great Times! 1991
Billy and Friends 2020
Lush Life 2020
Lush Life 2020
Reflections of Billy Strayhorn 2024
Reflections of Billy Strayhorn 2024

Also plays on

Albums where Billy Strayhorn is credited as a sideman

1959 Side by Side — Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges piano
1960 Blues in Orbit — Duke Ellington piano
1961 First Time! The Count Meets the Duke — Duke Ellington and Count Basie piano
1976 Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session — Duke Ellington piano
2017 Blues In Orbit + The Cosmic Scene — Duke Ellington– piano

Standards written by Billy Strayhorn

TitleKeyFormGroove
Take The A Train C major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
Lush Life D♭ major AB · 40 Ballad
Chelsea Bridge D♭ major AABA · 32 Ballad
Blood Count D major AABAC · 38 Ballad
A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing D♭ major AABA · 32 Ballad
Passion Flower G major AABA · 32 Ballad
My Little Brown Book B♭ major AABC · 34 Slow swing
Upper Manhattan Medical Group D♭ major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
Ballad For Very Tired And Very Sad Lotus Eaters A♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Raincheck F major ABB · 24 Medium swing

Awards

Historic 78 rpm records

  • Chelsea Bridge Johnny Bothwell's Swingtet · Billy Strayhorn · 1945 archive.org ↗
  • A Little Taste Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra · Johnny Hodges · Harold Baker ·… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra · Johnny Hodges · Al Sears · Taft… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • White Christmas The Ellingtonians · Al Hibbler · Johnny Hodges · Billy Strayhorn ·… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen The Ellingtonians · Al Hibbler · Johnny Hodges · Billy Strayhorn ·… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • Hello Little Boy Chubby Kemp · Billy Strayhorn - Johnny Hodges Sextet · Harry Carney… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • The Greatest There Is! Chubby Kemp · Billy Strayhorn - Johnny Hodges Sextet · Harry Carney… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • The Man I Love Sara Forde · Billy Strayhorn · Gershwin · 1951 archive.org ↗

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Billy Strayhorn play?

Billy Strayhorn is known for playing piano.

When and where was Billy Strayhorn born?

Billy Strayhorn was born 29 November 1915 in Dayton.

What are Billy Strayhorn's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Cue for Saxophone (1959), The Peaceful Side of Jazz (1963), !!!Live!!! (1969), Great Times! (1991) and Billy and Friends (2020).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.