Did you know that the legendary Jazz performer and composer Duke Ellington was the first African American to be honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award?

Often regarded as one of the most influential figures in music history, Ellington received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in 1966 and became the first African American – third artist in general – to earn the accolade. However, his achievements didn’t end there.

Ellington won twelve Grammys both before and after his death on May 24th 1974. Additionally, nine of his recordings, including his 1932 classic ‘Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got that Swing)’ have been inducted into the Grammy Award Hall of Fame.

Watch artists, such as Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles and Roberta Flack, pay tribute to Ellington below:

Now you know!