Billy Strayhorn Marker
Billy Strayhorn Marker
Westinghouse High School
1101 North Murtland Street
Pittsburgh, PA
orn in Ohio, composer Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967) lived until adulthood in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh. Because of the crowded living conditions and Billy's father's alcoholic binges, his mother often sent her eldest son for long stays with his grandparents in North Carolina, where he learned to play the piano and became dedicated to music. After high school, he formed his own jazz trio.
Strayhorn's big break came in 1938, when a friend of a friend got him an “audience” with Duke Ellington, who was playing with his band in downtown Pittsburgh. Ellington was impressed by the talented young pianist who could seemingly do everything – write music, lyrics, and arrangements – but he didn’t have an opening in his band. As the story goes, Ellington made Strayhorn a promise of a job if the young musician ever got to New York, and gave him exact directions to his home in Harlem. Eager to please, Strayhorn turned the directions into a song – “Take the A Train” was his most famous composition and eventually became Ellington’s theme song. He worked with Ellington for the next 30 years as collaborator and arranger. Strayhorn knew from childhood that he was gay, and Ellington, who was straight, seems to have been supportive and tolerant of his collaborator’s homosexuality.
Paula Martinac is the author of six books and numerous articles on LGBT topics. Her blog, The Queerest Places, chronicles LGBT historic sites. She holds an M.A. in history and works for a community development organization in Pittsburgh, PA.
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