Ella Fitzgerald
To some, Ella Fitzgerald had a hard life from the moment she was born.
To others, Ella had it made. Ella Fitzgerald was born April 25th 1917
in Virginia. Soon afterwards, her parents separated and Ella followed
her mother to Yonkers, New York. Ella was barely a teenager when her
mother died. While still coping with this tragedy, Ella found herself
failing school and having frequent run-ins with the police. She was
also abused by her caretakers while in the custody of a reform school.
At age 15 Ella ran away from school along with the horrible memories
of that time. Somehow she managed to support herself through the Great
Depression, a feat that is most commendable. Ella found her refuge in
attending the Apollo theatre, famous for its amateur competitions. At
17, she entered the competition and wooed the crowd with her
incredible vocals.
In the crowd that night were notable jazz artists of the time
including Benny Carter and Bardu Ali, who conducted the Chick Webb
orchestra. Ella began working and touring with the orchestra from 1935
and eventually took over as band leader in 1939. Although Ella had
obtained this status so early in her career, her enthusiasm to learn
and form business relationships never ceased. Ella was a professional
and was very good at what she did - not only because of her rare
talent but for her mature attitude at such a young age.
Many black female jazz vocalists of Ella's era found themselves caught
up in the industry. Many of these artists became driven by money, sex
and drugs and died at a young age, like the late Billie Holiday. Ella
remained different from this crowd and as a resul...
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Ella also appeared on many television chat shows during the 1960s and
1970s. These included the Nat "King" Cole Show, the Tonight Show and
the Ed Sullivan show.
Ella's health unfortunately started to decline in the 1980s. She
became severely ill with diabetes and had both legs amputated below
the knee before her death in 1996. Ella remains immortal through song
and is still seen as one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time.
By performing at predominantly white clubs Ella opened up new
possibilities for aspiring black jazz musicians in the big cities.
Ella's fans are as diverse as her vocal stylings - both black and
white fell in love with the songster. Ella Fitzgerald revolutionized
the way jazz ballads were sung with her sensitivity and naturalness
and also had a powerful influence over the industry itself.
In June of 1925, Florence received vaudeville's highest honor. She was the star attraction at the Palace Theatre. By heading the bill at the Palace, she became the first black performer to have that honor.
Ella was born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25, 1917. When alled “The First Lady of Song” by some fans. She was known for having beautiful tone, extended range, and great intonation, and famous for her improvisational scat singing. Ella sang during the her most famous song was “A-tiscket A-tasket”. Fitzgerald sang in the period of swing, ballads, and bebop; she made some great albums with other great jazz artists such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong. She influenced countless American popular singers of the post-swing period and also international performers such as the singer Miriam Makeba. She didn’t really write any of her own songs. Instead she sang songs by other people in a new and great way. The main exception
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