Billy Strayhorn
William Thomas Billy Strayhorn was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, best known for his successful collaboration with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington, lasting nearly three decades. His compositions include Take the A Train, Chelsea Bridge, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing, and Lush Life.
Strayhorn was born in Dayton, Ohio. His family soon moved to the Homewood section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, his mothers family was from Hillsborough, North Carolina, and she sent him there to protect him from his fathers drunken sprees. Strayhorn spent many months of his childhood at his grandparents house in Hillsborough. In an interview, Strayhorn said that his grandmother was his primary influence during the first ten years of his life. He first became interested in music while living with her, playing hymns on her piano, and playing records on her Victrola record player.
Source: Wikipedia