List of top 30 shellac records by the Duke Ellington Orchestra

Notes on using the list

This list contains the title and composer (s) of the pieces, date of recording, date of entry into the charts, highest position and length of stay in the charts. The presetting takes place according to the entry date in the charts. It can also be sorted by title and label.

The list of top 30 shellac records by the Duke Ellington Orchestra includes all pieces by the orchestra that hit the United States charts ( Top 30 ) between 1927 ( East St. Louis Toodle-Oo ) and 1953 (Boo-Dah) , including three number one hits between 1930 and 1938. For his book Pop Memories 1890-1954, the music historian Joel Whitburn evaluated various hit parades in parallel, including sheet music sales, radio broadcasts, official record label sales lists and charts from the industry journal Variety . The data does not only refer to Billboard magazine , which had only published a weekly hit parade since late 1935 / early 1936.

Duke Ellington during a concert break in 1965

In addition to pure jazz tracks, “commercial” recordings were also sold on shellac records, namely the tracks accepted by the general public. Because these were probably the most important medium in and next to radio; they made the musicians known, gave them the chance for further recordings and helped them to generate income. ”In the case of Duke Ellington's orchestra , it was the resulting royalties that ensured the continued existence of the in the later times of the“ big band's death ” Orchestra. The chronological list also illustrates “the gradual change in taste towards more jazz and then the abandonment of jazz-oriented music over the years” and “the great importance of jazz musicians for all popular music, especially that of the 1930s and 1940s (...) Quite a few of the songs from films and musicals were successful in the charts only because of them and became evergreens because of the jazz and swing versions ”.

Title, composer (s)	Label, number	Date of recording	Date of entry into the chart	Highest position	Weeks	Remarks
East St. Louis Toodle-Oo (Ellington)	Columbia 953	March 14, 1927	July 30, 1927	10	4th	Duke Ellington's first hit was famous for the growling effects of Bubber Miley and "Tricky Sam" Nanton . B-side was "Hop Head".
Black and Tan Fantasy (Ellington)	Victor Records 21137	Oct 26, 1927	May 3, 1928	15th	3	After the first recording on April 7, 1928 for Brunswick, only the second version for Victor entered the charts. B-side was "Hop Head".
Creole Love Call (Ellington)	Victor 21137	Oct 26, 1927	May 5, 1928	19th	1	The piece was coupled with "The Blues I Love to Sing" on the 78. Adelaide Hall sang in both pieces . The Creole Love Call then became a long-lasting Ellington classic. Parts of the composition build on King Oliver's "Camp Meeting Blues".
Doin 'the New Low Down (Fields - McHugh)	Okeh 8602	July 10, 1928	Nov 24, 1928	20th	1	The dancer Bill Robinson presented the song of the songwriting team Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh in the revue Blackbirds of 1928 ; The singer here is Irving Mills .
Diga Diga Doo (Fields - McHugh)	Okeh 8602	July 10, 1928	Dec. 1, 1928	17th	1	Another song from the revue Blackbirds of 1928 . The song appeared on Okeh under the pseudonym "The Harlem Footwarmers".
The Mooche (Ellington)	Okeh 8623	Oct. 1, 1928	December 29, 1928	16	2	The piece was named after a slow dance of time; In 1930 Ellington took him on again. “Another jungle number that should have a long life. (…) The Mooche shows again the characteristics of Ellington's method: the key shift, the change between major and minor, the sharp contrast in the colors as the music moves through the band. ”B-side was“ Hot and Bothered ”.
Three Little Words (Kalmar - Ruby)	Victor 22528	Aug 28, 1930	Oct 18, 1930	1	13	Ellington's first number 1 hit; he stayed in this position for three weeks. The vocals are from Bing Crosby and his Rhythm Boys . The piece was also known through the film Check and Double Check , in which the orchestra played.
Ring Dem Bells (Mills - Ellington)	Victor 22528	Aug 26, 1930	Nov 29, 1930	17th	1	Another song from the movie Check and Double Check . Cootie Williams can be heard as a scat singer . "The piece deserves our interest through the skillful use of call and answer , which makes the simple melody appear rhythmically much more complex than if it were just standing there alone."
Blue Again (Fields - McHugh)	Victor 22603	Nov 28, 1930	Feb. 7, 1931	12	2	A hit known from the Ipanema Troubadours , with Sid Gary as the singer. On the B-side was "To Whom It May Concern," a recording by Bert Lown's Biltmore Hotel Orchestra.
Mood Indigo (Ellington)	Victor 22587	Dec 10, 1930	Feb 14, 1931	3	10	The piece was recorded a year earlier by Ellington as "Dreamy Blues". The soloists here are Arthur Whetsol (tp) and Barney Bigard (cl). "Ellington's first real hit." B-side was "When a Black Man's Blue".
Rockin 'in Rhythm (Mills - Ellington)	Brunswick 6038	Jan. 14, 1931	March 14, 1931	19th	1	The second recording of the instrumental piece based on a theme by Harry Carney . It became one of the most famous Ellington compositions, in which again the origin of the parts is difficult to determine. B-side was "Twelfth Street Rag".
Creole Rhapsody I / II (Ellington)	Brunswick 6093	Jan. 16, 1931	July 18, 1931	18th	2	The first "serious" and lengthy piece on the charts by Ellington and "crucial to his career because it was taken as proof by those who saw jazz as a potential art form that Ellington was a real composer."
Limehouse Blues (Furber - Braham)	Victor 22743	June 16, 1931	22 Aug 1931	13	3	A melody from an English musical supposedly introduced by the Califormia Rambers and Red Nichols , which became the jazz standard through the Ellington version . "Limehouse" is a district of Stepney in the London port area on the north Thames.
It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (Ellington)	Brunswick 6265	Feb 2, 1932	Feb. 27, 1932	6th	6th	Ellington's 14th track became the model for the emerging swing era . The singer is Ivie Anderson , soloists are Tricky Sam Nanton , Johnny Hodges , Harry Carney and the band leader.
Creole Rhapsody I / II (Ellington)	Victor 36049	July 11, 1931	March 19, 1931	6th	6th	The second recording of the longer piece; the soloists are Arthur Whetsol, Cootie Williams, Tricky Sam Nanton, Johnny Hodges, Barney Bigard and Ellington. The excess length was created "through a real multi-part composition with a program character that extends the 32-bar song scheme."
Rose Room (In Sunny Roseland) (Williams / Hickman)	Brunswick 6265	Feb 11, 1932	March 26, 1932	17th	1	The piece was dedicated to the dance hall of the St. Frances Hotel in San Francisco. The band leader Art Hickman had composed it in 1917. Fletcher Henderson , Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman soon added it to their repertoires. The harmonies were the basis for Ellington's composition " In a Mellotone ".
Moon Over Dixie (Mills - Koehler - Ellington)	Brunswick 6317	Feb 2, 1932	June 18, 1932	14th	3	A daily hit with drummer Sonny Greer as singer. Ted Koehler wrote the text . B-side was "Baby When You Ain't There."
Blue Ramble (Ellington)	Brunswick 6336	May 18, 1932	July 9, 1932	16	3	The Ellington composition was coupled with the standard "Sheik of Araby"; The soloists on this jungle style instrumental piece were Lawrence Brown , Arthur Whetsol and Cootie Williams.
Drop Me Off in Harlem (Ellington)	Brunswick 6527	Feb. 17, 1933	May 6, 1933	17th	3	The melodic piece was only recorded this once by Ellington. Only in 1957 did Ella Fitzgerald record with the Ellington Orchestra. B-side was "Slippery Horn."
Sophisticated Lady (Parish - Mills - Ellington)	Brunswick 6600	May 16, 1933	May 27, 1933	3	16	On the back was the subsequent hit "Stormy Weather". Ellington had previously recorded the piece at the "Drop Me Off in Harlem" session for Columbia; However, the Brunswick version was successful in the charts. B-side was "Stormy Weather."
I'm Satisfied (Ellington)	Brunswick 6638	Aug 15, 1933	Sep 2 1933	11	3	Recorded on his return from the European tour. The singer is Ivie Anderson. B-side was "Jive Stomp."
In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (Williams - Van Alstyne)	Brunswick 6646	Aug 15, 1933	Sep 30 1933	13	2	A long forgotten song from 1905; The soloists are Freddy Jenkins (tp), Joe Nanton (tb), Johnny Hodges (as) and Barney Bigard (cl).
Saturday Night Function (Bigard - Ellington)	Columbia 2832	May 28, 1929	Nov 25, 1933	14th	2	A record officially released under the name of the drummer Sonny Greer , with which Ellington wanted to make him better known for his orchestra.
Daybreak Express (Ellington)	Victor 24501	Dec. 4, 1933	Feb. 17, 1934	10	7th	“It was with Daybreak Express that Ellington experimented for the first time on the harmonies of Tiger Rag and constructed a perfect acoustic impression of a moving train.” “Duke used the railway effect in several of his pieces, (…) but Daybreak Express is a masterpiece of this genre. (...) The piece is of course program music, a show piece that demonstrates Ellington's love for pure sound. ”The recording was used in 1953 as the soundtrack for a short film of the same title.
Cocktails for Two (Johnston - Coslow)	Victor 24617	Apr 12, 1934	May 5, 1934	1	15th	Second number 1 hit, which remained in this position for five weeks, also became Ellington's 25th successful record. The song was featured in the film musical Murder at the Vanities by Carl Brisson and then sung in the film musical She Loves Me Not by Miriam Hopkins. Spike Jones recorded a joke version in 1941.
Moonglow ( Hudson - Venuti - De Lange )	Brunswick 6987	Sep 12 1934	Oct 6, 1934	2	16	Versions of this piece by four performers were noted in the charts; Ellington's version stayed at # 2 for two weeks. In 1936 Benny Goodman had a hit with it.
(In My) Solitude (Ellington)	Brunswick 6987	Sep 12 1934	Oct. 27, 1934	2	16	The evergreen in the Ellington repertoire hit the charts in the same year in a version by the Mills Brothers . The song was then voted best song of the year by the ASCAP .
Saddest Tale (Ellington)	Brunswick 7310	Sep 12 1934	Nov 17, 1934	9	3	Soloists on this piece include Ellington Barney Bigard, Joe Nanton, Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams and Harry Carney on bass clarinet . B-side was "Jump'n'bout Rhythm."
Merry-Go-Round (Mills - Ellington)	Brunswick 7440	Apr 30, 1935	June 8, 1935	6th	5	A new recording of the 1933 version that did not hit the charts at the time. Ellington brought in two bassists for the recording, Hayes Alvis and Billy Taylor . It is one of the "excellent examples of Duke's ability to convert a motorized noise or even the feeling of a carousel ride into music."
In a Sentimental Mood (Ellington)	Brunswick 7461	Apr 30, 1935	July 13, 1935	14th	3	The soloists on this Ellington evergreen were Otto Hardwicke , Harry Carney (ss), Rex Stewart (cor), Lawrence Brown (tb). B-side was "Showboat Shuffle."
Accent on Youth (Seymor - Lawnhurst)	Brunswick 7514	Aug 19, 1935	21 Sep 1935	6th	7th	The title song of the film of the same name. Tenor saxophonist Ben Webster is part of the orchestra's recording for the first time; The soloist is Johnny Hodges . B-side was "Truckin '."
Cotton (Koehler - Bloom)	Brunswick 7526	Aug 19, 1935	Oct 12, 1935	4th	6th	A song from the Cotton Club Parade in 1935 . It wasn't until March 1936 that Ellington had a hit in the charts. B-side was "Margie".
Isn't Love the Strangest Thing? (Benny Davis - J. Fred Coots )	Brunswick 7625	Feb. 27, 1936	March 28, 1936	12	3	The only version of the piece that made it to the charts. The singer is Ivie Anderson. Ellington biographer Hans Ruland counts it among the "harmless commercial titles that live mainly from Ivie Anderson's charm." B-side was "That Never to Be Forgotten Night".
Love Is Like a Cigarette (Jerome - Kent)	Brunswick 7627	Feb. 28, 1936	Apr 4, 1936	8th	10	Ellington had success with the old song from the Broadway musical Algeria (1908); There were no other notable jazz recordings of the piece. His biographer James Lincoln Collier mentions the "harmless", "hideously commercial title" that in the years after his mother's death "his vigor was so destroyed that his productivity fell sharply". In the first twelve months after her death, he recorded only 16 tracks, including "Isn't Love is the Strangest Thing?" And "Love Is Like a Cigarette".
Clarinet Lament (Barney's Concerto) (Ellington - Bigard)	Brunswick 7650	Feb. 27, 1936	May 9, 1936	12	3	An original written especially for the band by Ellington and a feature for clarinetist Barney Bigard. Here “once again Bigard's wonderfully melodious, intertwined playing, whose virtuosity never looked suspicious for a show, comes into its own.” B-side was “Echoes of Harlem” ´.
Echoes of Harlem (Cootie's Concerto) (Ellington)	Brunswick 7650	Feb. 27, 1936	May 16, 1936	19th	1	Another feature piece for an Ellington soloist, which was also recorded in versions by other trumpeters such as Roy Eldridge and Jonah Jones as well as several times by Cootie Williams.
Oh babe Maybe Someday (Ellington)	Brunswick 7667	Apr 9, 1936	June 6, 1936	8th	5	Despite the chart success, the piece had no further recordings by the Ellington Orchestra. B-side was “Monopoly Swing” by the Will Hudson Orchestra.
Jazz Lips (Ellington)	Bluebird 6396	Nov 14, 1929	June 20, 1936	20th	1	The piece is not identical to the song of the same name by Lil Hardin , which Louis Armstrong's Hot Five recorded in 1926. Soloists are Cootie Williams (tp) and Tricky Sam Nanton (tb). B-side was "Sloppy Joe".
Yearning for Love (Lawrence's Concerto) (Mills - Mitchell - Parish - Ellington)	Brunswick 7752	Feb. 28, 1936	Oct 31, 1936	16	1	This was another composition with which Ellington highlighted one of his musicians, this time his trombonist Lawrence Brown , which, however, was not very well received at the time, "when Dorsey and Teagarden rode this Sweet mesh ...". Another hit for the Ellington Orchestra did not follow until May 1937.
The New East St. Louis Toodle-Oo (Ellington - Miley)	Master 101	March 5, 1937	May 1, 1937	16	2	A new recording of his first signature tune from 1927. Soloists are cootie Williams and Barney Bigard. B-side was "I've Got to Be a Rug Cutter".
There's a Lull in My Life (Gordon - Warren)	Master 117	Apr 9, 1937	May 22, 1937	18th	1	A song from the musical Wake Up and Live (1937); In the jazz area, Teddy Wilson also hit the charts with this song. B-side was "It's Swell on You".
Scattin 'at the Kit-Kat (Mills - Ellington)	Master 123	March 5, 1937	June 5, 1937	17th	1	The title referred to the Kit-Kat club in London-Haymarket, which Ellington and his musicians had often visited on their European tour in 1933. B-side was "New Birmingham Breakdown".
Caravan (Ellington - Tizol)	Master 131	May 20, 1937	July 3, 1937	4th	18th	One of Ellington's “Latin” titles such as “Bakiff”, “Moon Over Cava” or “Moonlight Fiesta”, which owes its success mainly to the handwriting of Juan Tizol , who also plays a smooth trombone solo. "Caravan" was one of the titles that Ellington kept constantly in the repertoire and which became one of the most famous jazz standards . In 1949, Billy Eckstine had the next hit with "Caravan".
All God's Chillun Got Rhythm (Kahn - Kaper - Jurman)	Master 137	June 8, 1937	July 31, 1937	14th	2	The Bronislau Kaper song came from the Marx Brothers film A Day at the Races (1937). On the same day, another recording of the song for the Variety label with Ivie Anderson and Rex Stewart, Harry Carney and Hayes Alvis was made under the band name Ivie Anderson & Her Boys from Dixie . Ivie had also presented the song in the film with Harpo Marx . B-side was "Alabama Home".
Azure (Mills - Ellington)	Master131	May 14, 1937	Aug 21, 1937	13	4th	Although there were other recordings by Cab Calloway , JC Heard , Les Brown and others, only the original version made it onto the charts. The arranger was Joe Lippman . "Performed cautiously by Bigard together with Carney on bass clarinet in a sad Ellington mood."
Harmony in Harlem (Mills - Ellington - Hodges)	Brunswick 8044	Sep 20 1937	Feb 12, 1938	15th	2	Another feature piece Ellington featured soloists, this time Cootie Williams and Johnny Hodges. There were later recordings by Charlie Barnet and in 1940 by an all-star band around Benny Carter called The Quintones .
If You Were in My Place (Nemo - Mills - Ellington)	Brunswick 8093	Feb. 24, 1938	March 19, 1938	10	3	Only Ellington's original made it onto the charts, although there were other versions of Jimmy Dorsey (with June Richmond ) and Mildred Bailey . The band singer is again Ivie Anderson.
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart (Nemo - Richmond - Mills - Ellington)	Brunswick 8108	March 3, 1938	March 26, 1938	1	19th	The third number one hit by the Ellington Orchestra, which stayed at the top for three weeks. Instrumental number with a memorable passage at the beginning of the piece with two saxophones in a common chorus ; Harry Carney's baritone saxophone takes over the main melody; the alto saxophones by Hodges / Carney provide the accompaniment. The following year, the song made the Top 20 in five versions : by Ellington, Goodman, Mildred Bailey, Hot Lips Page and Connee Boswell . Characterized by that “indescribable Ellington mood, a mixture of glamor and sadness.” B-side was “The Gal from Joe's”.
The Gal from Joe’s (Mills - Ellington)	Brunswick 8108	Feb. 2, 1938	Apr 30, 1938	20th	1	The lyrical alto saxophone by Johnny Hodges starts after the 1-2-3-4 opening with phrases that set themselves apart from the wah-wah of the brass. A year later, Charlie Barnet made it into the top 20 again with the piece .
Lambeth Walk (Furber - Gay)	Brunswick 8204	4th Sep 1938	Sep 10 1938	7th	7th	A song from the English theater musical Me and My Girl (1938) that Ellington made a hit of the day. Al Donahue and Russ Morgan also made hits in the top 20 .
Prelude to a Kiss (Gordon - Mills - Ellington)	Brunswick 8204	Aug 9, 1938	Oct. 29, 1938	18th	8th	Another piece from the “Lambeth Walk” session that became a classic in the Ellington repertoire. A second take, recorded on the same session, was released on Columbia. Later there were also vocal versions of the piece by Billie Holiday , Ella Fitzgerald , Sarah Vaughan and June Christy . Ellington was only able to place another hit in the charts in May 1940, probably also due to his European tour from April 1 to May 10, 1939.
You, You, Darlin ' (Scholl - Jerome)	Victor 26537	March 6, 1940	May 11, 1940	28	1	In April the sweet band leader Kay Kyser and shortly after Ellington Bob Crosby were in the charts with the daily hit. Herb Jeffries was the band singer here . B-side was "So Far, So Good".
Ko-Ko (Ellington)	Victor 26577	March 6, 1940	June 1, 1940	25th	1	The classic by the Blanton-Webster band , now regarded as one of the most remarkable tracks in the Ellington repertoire, only made it to number 25 on the charts for a week. The soloists on this recording were Juan Tizol in the first chorus and Tricky Sam Nanton. There were no recordings of other musicians of "Ko-Ko" in the swing era. The Ellington composition should not be confused with Charlie Parker 's 1945 piece of the same name . B-side of "Ko-Ko" was "Conga Brava".
At a Dixie Roadside Diner (Leslie - Burke)	Victor 26719	May 28, 1940	21 Sep 1940	27	1	The hit recorded in Chicago was only recorded by the Ellington Orchestra and Charlie Barnet . B-side was "The Greatest Mistake".
Sepia Panorama (Ellington)	Victor 26731	July 24, 1940	Nov 2, 1940	24	1	“Sepia Panorama” was a pure jazz piece and one of Ellington's many “color compositions”. The soloists were bassist Jimmy Blanton , Ellington himself and Ben Webster. The piece was not recorded by any other musicians.
Flamingo (Grouya - Anderson)	Victor 27326	Dec 28, 1940	June 14, 1941	11	4th	This song is mostly associated with Earl Bostic's 1951 rhythm and blues version ; The Ellington Orchestra had the first success with Herb Jeffries as the band singer. Only in Ellington's recording, which was made in Chicago, was the song by Edmund Anderson (lyrics) and Ted Grouya noted in the charts. It was also recorded by Will Bradley , Bob Crosby , Gene Krupa and Jimmie Lunceford .
Take the "A" Train ( Billy Strayhorn )	Victor 27380	Feb 15, 1941	July 26, 1941	11	7th	Among the first numbers that the newly added arranger Billy Strayhorn wrote was his best-known composition " Take the" A "Train" , which then became the band's signature melody. The title came from the fact that the city of New York added the "D" line to its subway system in the northern parts of the city, which turned into the Bronx , so that to get to Harlem , where Ellington performed, one no longer takes any train Could take north. Strayhorn now had to thank for taking line "A".
I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good (Ellington - Webster)	Victor 27531	June 26, 1941	Oct 11, 1941	13	3	The song, sung by Ivie Anderson, was part of the Ellington musical Jump for Joy , which played for several months in Los Angeles but never hit Broadway . The record recording was also made in Hollywood with the same line-up as “Take the“ A ”Train”. B-side was “Chocolate Shake,” sung by Ivy Anderson.
Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Ellington)	Victor 26610	May 4th 1940	May 1, 1943	8th	14th	After the recording ban , the composition recorded as “Never No Lament” appeared after three years with a new title and was a success. The piece highlights Johnny Hodges and Cootie Williams with his growling trumpet. B-side was “Cotton Tail”. The title also reached # 1 on the Harlem Hit Parade in 1943 .
Perdido (Tizol)	Victor 27880	Jan. 21, 1942	May 22, 1943	21st	1	The number recorded in Chicago the year before became a jazz classic, despite a greater success in the charts, shaped by the Latin elements of the Puerto Rican valve trombonist Juan Tizol . Due to the recording ban there were initially no further recordings of this piece by other artists. B-side was "Rain Check."
Take the "A" Train (Strayhorn)	Victor 27380	Feb 15, 1941	July 3, 1943	19th	1	For the second time, Ellington's signature tune hit the charts and was in the top 20 for a total of eight weeks . Ray Nance's first trumpet solo in the Strayhorn number also contributed to the success. B-side was "The Sidewalks of New York".
Bojangles (A Portrait of Bill Robinson) (Ellington)	Victor 26644	May 28, 1940	Aug 14, 1943	19th	1	the piece, which was recorded in Chicago in 1940, is dedicated to the dancer Bill “Mr Bojangles” Robinson ; It is one of the series of musical portraits of artists that Ellington admired and composed over the years, such as the singer Florence Mills , the pianist Willie The Lion Smith , the variety star Bert Williams and just “Mr. Bojangles ".
A Slip of the Lip (Can Sink a Ship) (Henderson - Ellington)	Victor 1528	July 28, 1942	Nov 6, 1943	19th	1	The piece, recorded in Chicago last year, was the first successful composition by his son Mercer , which he had written with the pianist Luther Henderson. Ellington took on Ray Nance (vocals). It was coupled with "Sentimental Lady", the orchestra's subsequent hit. The title also made it to # 1 on the Harlem Hit Parade in 1944 .
Sentimental Lady (Ellington)	Victor 1528	July 28, 1942	Nov 13, 1943	19th	1	Ellington's 64th hit track was also released on V-Disc . The Count Basie Orchestra put him back on the charts in February 1945 as "I Didn't Know About You". The title also made it to # 1 on the Harlem Hit Parade in 1944.
Do Nothing till You Hear from Me ( Bob Russell - Ellington)	Victor 1547	March 15, 1940	Jan. 22, 1944	10	6th	The piece, recorded around four years earlier in Chicago, is one of the two trumpet concerts, namely the “Concerto for Cootie”. The new title brought a current reference to the wartime and the situation of soldiers fighting in Europe and the Pacific. The piece hit the charts in three versions in 1944, in addition to the original by Ellington, by Woody Herman and by Stan Kenton , who had his first hit with it.
Main Stem (Ellington)	Victor 1556	June 26, 1942	March 25, 1944	23	1	The piece, recorded two years earlier in Hollywood, appeared under several titles in Ellington's discography, as "Main Stem", "Altitude" or "On Becoming a Square". Then it took another six months until Ellington hit the charts with “I'm Beginning to See the Light”.
I'm Beginning to See the Light (James - Ellington - Hodges - George)	Victor 1618	Dec. 1, 1944	Feb 3, 1945	6th	12	Duke Ellington's first hit recorded after the recording ban ended ; at the same time, he and co-composer Harry James were in the charts. In April 1945 Ella Fitzgerald followed with the Ink Spots . Now it took exactly a year until Ellington's next hit "Come to Baby, Do". The song reached # 4 on the Race Records charts in 1945
Come to Baby, Do (James - Miller)	Victor 1748	Oct 8, 1945	Feb. 2, 1946	13	1	The hit also hit the charts in a version of Les Brown ; Georgie Auld , Nat King Cole and Jimmy Dorsey made further recordings of the piece . It was not until June 1953 that Ellington's next and penultimate chart hit “Satin Doll” in 1953 followed.
Satin Doll (Mercer - Strayhorn - Ellington)	Capitol 2458	Apr 6, 1953	June 11, 1953	27	3	The piece was created during Ellington's first session in Hollywood on his new Capitol label. Despite its little success in the charts, the title remained in the band's repertoire and became a jazz standard, comparable to the numbers "Lullaby of Birdland" by George Shearing or " Take Five " by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which were written during this period . Earl Hines later claimed its authorship.
Boo-Dah (Strayhorn)	Capitol	Apr 9, 1953	Nov 21, 1953	30th	1	The piece, written shortly after the "Satin Doll" session, was the Duke Ellington Orchestra's seventieth and final hit on the Billboard Top 30 charts since 1927. The title refers to the sound of the melody and was written by Billy Strayhorn during the Dancing events written by the Ellington Band. The soloists here are the trumpeter Ray Nance and the clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ In addition, Whitburn lists from the late 1930s on a top 30, in the earlier years he only evaluated the 10-20 successful titles each week.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk} Gerhard Klußmeier : Jazz in the Charts. Another view on jazz history. Liner notes and booklet for the 100 CD edition. Membrane International GmbH. ISBN 978-3-86735-062-4
3. ↑ The basis for the list is Joel Whitburn's work Pop Memories 1890-1954 (Record Research Inc., Menomone Falls, Wisconsin, 1986), which lists the titles determined by the Billboard charts that were among the top 30 popular hits - calculated according to the Record sales, radio and jukebox use as well as the then largely unmanipulated hit parades. Compare Gerhard Klußmeier: Jazz in the Charts, p. 9.
4. ^ AH Lawrence: Duke Ellington and His World (London: Routledge, 2001) p. 96 ISBN 0-415-93012-X
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} James L. Collier: Duke Ellington. Genius of jazz . Ullstein, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-548-35839-X
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Hans Ruland Duke Ellington - His life, his music, his records , Oreos Verlag 1983

This version was added to the selection of informative lists and portals on June 20, 2010 .