Ella Fitzgerald Biography
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was one of the 20th century’s most influential vocalists, as well as one of the most popular singers of her era. Embraced within the jazz community as well as the mainstream entertainment world, she earned her nickname of America’s First Lady of Song. Fitzgerald possessed a remarkable three-octave vocal range, as well as a singular sense of phrasing, a matchless talent for improvisation and a one-of-a-kind facility for scat singing. But it was the sunny exuberance of her performances that endeared her to a broad range of listeners over the course of her six-decade career.
While that upbeat attitude runs throughout her expansive body of recordings, there was little joy in Fitzgerald’s early life. Born into poverty in Newport News, Virginia, she got her big break in November 1934, when she won a talent contest at New York’s Apollo Theatre. In the audience at the Apollo was Benny Carter, who brought the 17-year-old newcomer to the attention of Harlem drummer/bandleader Chick Webb, who added her to his big band. In 1938, Fitzgerald scored a mainstream smash with her own composition “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” When Webb died the following year, Fitzgerald assumed leadership of his band. In 1942, she left the band to launch a solo career.
Although many of her early recordings were fluffy pop and novelty songs, Fitzgerald’s musical emphasis shifted as the swing era began to wind down. She began pursuing an interest in scat singing, which became a key element of her performances. Her dazzling vocal improvisations demonstrated her rapport with the emerging bebop movement, a connection that was strengthened by several tours with Dizzy Gillespie’s band. In the late ’40s, Fitzgerald became a frequent participant in jazz impresario Norman Granz’s all-star Jazz at the Philharmonic tours. Granz became Fitzgerald’s manager and producer, eventually signing her to his new label, Verve. The new imprint released a series of highly regarded Fitzgerald albums that established her as one of the foremost interpreters of the Great American Songbook.
Fitzgerald remained a familiar public presence—on record, on stage and on television—for the remainder of her life. Equally comfortable singing with small groups, big bands or large orchestras, she maintained a busy touring schedule until the early 1990s.
Recent Comments