Duke Ellington's $135,000 Betrayal: The Music Industry's Most Shocking Theft

🎹 Duke Ellington thought he owned his music... until one envelope revealed the shocking truth about his 20-year partnership.

March 15, 1939. Duke Ellington opened the wrong envelope and discovered that Irving Mills, his trusted manager and business partner, had been stealing 75% of his music royalties for 15 years. The man who made Duke famous had also been systematically robbing him.

$135,000. That's how much Irving Mills had stolen from America's greatest jazz composer.

But what Duke did next would change the music industry forever.

🔥 WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER:
The ASCAP statement that exposed 15 years of theft
How Irving Mills legally stole Duke's compositions
The secret pseudonym plan that nearly backfired
Why Duke risked everything to fight back
The legal battle that established artists' rights
The heartbreaking price of artistic freedom

This isn't just about stolen money. This is about an artist's fight to own his own soul, and how one man's greed almost destroyed jazz's greatest genius.

The victory came at a cost that haunted Duke Ellington for the rest of his life.


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💰 Irving Mills made Duke Ellington famous... but at what cost? Was the partnership worth the theft? Let us know what you think in the comments.

#DukeEllington #IrvingMills #JazzHistory #MusicIndustry #ArtistRights #Royalties #MusicBusiness #JazzLegends #AmericanHistory #ASCAP

SHOCKING FACT: This case established the legal precedent that helped future artists fight exploitative contracts. Duke Ellington didn't just save his own career - he saved the careers of countless musicians who came after him.

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🎬 Satch & Duke - Legends of Jazz
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