Ella Fitzgerald is widely regarded as the greatest jazz singer of the 20th century. Known for her scat, jazz, and swing singing, Fitzgerald had an expressive voice. Scat singing, a form of jazz singing where the voice imitates musical instruments, created her signature sound. She cultivated an unforgettable stage presence and unmatched work ethic. Incredibly shy, her personality bubbled over on the stage. Her work defined the genre and set the standard for jazz singing. Performing well into her 70’s’s, Fitzgerald proved an enduring American icon and a musical genius.
Born in Newport News, Virginia in 1917, Fitzgerald grew up in Yonkers, New York. Musically precocious, she was known to dance and sing for money. In 1934, she entered a contest to take part in amateur night at the Apollo. This experience became a launching pad for her career. She met saxophonist and arranger Benny Carter. When she was only eighteen years old, Fitzgerald joined Chick Webb’s Orchestra as its featured singer. Webb was one of the most accomplished jazz drummers of his day. Fitzgerald released her breakthrough hit,”A-Tisket, A-Tasket,”It became a staple song in her repertoire that reached number 2 on the Billboard charts. Webb also recorded multiple songs performed by Fitzgerald, including “That was My Heart,” “Blue Room,” “Deep in a Dream,” “One O’ Clock Jump.” “Have a Good Time,” and “Swing, Mister Charlie,” Following Webb’s death in 1939, Fitzgerald changed the band’s name to “Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Band” The band was an instant hit due to their talented musicianship and unique stage presence. While touring with Dizzy Gillespie’s band, see met and married bassist Ray Brown She also signed a contract with Decca Records. During this time, she appeared in films, Her first role was in Ride Em, Cowboy in 1942. She appeared in Pete Kelley’s Blues in 1955 and St Louis Blues in 1958. In addition to movies, Fitzgerald frequently collaborated with prominent jazz musicians of her era: Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, and Louis Armstrong. She also cultivated close friendships with fellow performers Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday, and was a lifelong friend of Marilyn Monroe.
Fitzgerald exapnded her presence in media. She first appeared on TV. in the 1950’s. These appearances would continued throughout her career. She appeared on “The Bing Crosby Show,” “The Dinah Shore Show,” “The Frank Sinatra Show,” “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “The Nat King Cole Show,” “The Andy Willams Show” and “The Dean Martin Show.”In the 1950’s, Fitzgerald signed with Verve Records, and worked with the label until the mid-1960s. During this period, she recorded eight Song Book albums. These albums interpreted a large portion of the The Great American Songbook included songs from the pens of Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer. In 1958, Fitzgerald recorded her historic duet album with Louis Armstrong, Porgy and Bess. The album became the biggest selling record for both artists. She also won her first Grammy at the 1st Grammy Awards: Best Vocal Performance, Female for Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Songbook and Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Individual for Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Songbook.
The 1960’s featured epic performances by Fitzgerald. She performed “Mack the Knife” live in Berlin, Germany. She improvised the lyrics after forgetting them. She received the Best Female Vocal Performance (Single) and the Best Vocal Performance, Female (Album) at the 3rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1961. In 1967 she won a Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
In the 1970s, and 1980’s, Fitzgerald continued to receive recognitionfor her work. She won Grammy’s for Best Jazz Vocals in 1976 and 1979. She received Grammy’s for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1990. She was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship in 1985, which recognized her significant contributions to jazz and American popular song and humanitarian efforts. Fitzgerald suffered from chronically poor health and underwent surgery for congestive heart failure in 1986. Many thought this would be the end of her performing career. She bounced back and continued to perform until 1993.
Ella Fitzgerald was one of the most popular and acclaimed jazz singers of all time. She was one of the few solo female artists to have made Billboard’s Top 100 Artist Chart in 6 different decades. A versatile singer, Fitzgerald performed sing opera, jazz, blues, and Broadway songs. She outlived all her contemporaries and died in 1996, at 79. She still holds the record for the most recorded singles by a female jazz singer. Ella Fitzgerald was truly an incomparable jazz singer and performer.
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This post was previously published on historianspeaks.org.
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