Ella Fitzgerald: A Songstress for All Time

Ella Fitzgerald overcame some very long odds to be one of the most sultry and full-ranged voices ever to sing in front of an audience. She was known to many as "The First Lady of Song", Fitzgerald came from obscurity and into one of the most lucrative singing careers ever to be had in her day.

Biography

Ella Fitzgerald was born Newport News, Virginia, in 1917. Her parents separated shortly after her birth. She lived with her mother and stepfather in Yonkers, New York, where she probably gained her love of singing and performing as she watched performances at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem.

When her mother died of a tragic car accident in 1932, Ella Fitzgerald moved in with her aunt and had two years of troubled circumstances. What changed for young Ella was a random drawing one night at the Apollo. Fitzgerald was given the opportunity to perform at amateur night, and her rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's Judy won her a standing ovation and an encore for the rowdy crowd, according to her official website.

Career

Fitzgerald recorded her first album in 1936 after singing with Chick Webb's band at local venues in the New York City area. It was a mildly successful album, but in 1938 when she recorded A-Tisket, A-Tasket, the single sold more than a million copies and Ella Fitzgerald was a household name at age 21.

After Webb's death, Fitzgerald's band was named for her and she became the leader. Eventually, she ended up touring with jazz great Dizzy Gillespie and then Louis Armstrong. Fitzgerald also did well on the television talk show circuit singing on many legendary shows.

Overcoming Racism

One fortuitous signing was that her husband at the time, Ray Brown, knew Norman Granz who got Ella signed with many jazz ensembles and led her to sing many famous jazz covers. Granz, where ever he would tour, demanded that his African American singers be given equal treatment despite the obvious racism of the times.

It was because Marilyn Monroe that Ella Fitzgerald got to sing at the uber popular Mocambo night club in Hollywood, California. Her popularity was secured since southern California was rapidly becoming the height of culture in the United States.

Today

Even today, nearly fifteen years after her death, Ella Fitzgerald is one of the most recorded singing voices in human history. Rolling Stone lists over two hundred albums recorded with her or her band, plus countless guest recordings on other singers' albums. Her immortal voice will likely live on forever with all of the acts she has inspired. Music wouldn't be music today without the sultry voice of Ella Fitzgerald. She passed away in 1996.