Satin Doll

According to Strayhorn biographer David Hajdu, Ellington wrote the main melodic themes for "Satin Doll", then asked Strayhorn to harmonize and orchestrate the tune and write an original lyric. Hajdu wrote that Strayhorn did pen a lyric for the song that was a tribute to Strayhorn's mother (whom Strayhorn called "Satin Doll"), but that Strayhorn's lyric was not performed and is now lost. The Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded the piece as an instrumental in 1953, and the song charted that same year and remained popular through the 1950s. Around 1959, Johnny Mercer was asked to write a new lyric for the song. An instrumental version by guitarist Johnny Smith released in 1959 lists Mercer as a composer, though the copyright registration for the version of the song with Mercer's lyric was not filed until 1960. ==Commercial recordings==

• Duke Ellington – Capitol Sessions 1953–1955 (1953, instrumental) (vocal, features uncredited lyric that differs from the Mercer lyric) • Bill Doggett – Salute to Duke Ellington (King, 1959) • George Shearing (instrumental) – Beauty And The Beat! (Capitol Records, 1959, with Peggy Lee on other songs) • The Coasters – One by One (1960) • Harry James – Harry James...Today (MGM, 1960) • McCoy Tyner – Nights of Ballads & Blues (1963) • The Impressions – The Never Ending Impressions (1964) • Blossom Dearie – ''Blossom Time at Ronnie's'' (1966) • Kimiko Kasai – Satin Doll (CBS/Sony, 1972) - with Gil Evans Orchestra • Bobbi Humphrey - Satin Doll (1974) • Chicago – Chicago VIII (1974) • Terry Callier – ''I Just Can't Help Myself'' (1974) • Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry – Oscar Peterson & Clark Terry (1975) • Joe Sample – The Three (1975) • The Stylistics – Once Upon a Jukebox (1976) • Dewey Redman – African Venus (1992) • Dave Grusin – Homage to Duke (1993) • Buddy Emmons & Ray Pennington with the Swing Shift Band - ''It's All In The Swing'' (1994) • Dr. John – Duke Elegant (1999) • James Darren – ''This One's from the Heart'' (1999) • Hank Jones – Someday My Prince Will Come (2002) ==See also==