Ella Fitzgerald1917-1966

Background On EllaBorn April 25, 1917 – Newport News, VADied- June 15, 1966 – Beverly Hills, CA due to

diabetes, congestive heart failure, poor eye sight etc.

Nicknames : “First lady of song” and “Queen of jazz”

Father –William, Mother-Temperance (Temple) divorced shortly after Ella was born

1932- Temple died from a serious car accident –Ella took the loss hard (very rough childhood) – grades dropped in school, run into the police- sent to a reform school

Notable Achievements1st performance- age 17 at Apollo Theater in

193413 Grammys, sold over 40 million albums,

recorded at least 200 albums 1st number one song “A Tisket, A Tasket”- 1

million copies sold- Grammy Hall of FameDeveloped scattingShe worked with all the jazz greats, from Duke

Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman

Several awards- NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award and Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Medal of Honor

Overcoming Discrimination1950’s- Mocambo Club, Hollywood

- Ella 1st African American to perform here

Ella’s friendship with Marilyn Monroe- Monroe was able to get Ella Fitzgerald booked at Mocambo club

Monroe promised that she would book a front row table every night if Ella performed there- Monroe kept her promise.

1954- Ella and her band sued Pan Am airlines when they were bumped from a flight to accommodate white patrons

Ella’s Critics She always encouraged me to create and take my turn in our duets,

never playing the star."-- Joe Pass

"Ella's musicianship is just incredible. Playing with her is like playing with a full orchestra."-- Ed Thigpen

"Whatever she does to my songs, she always makes them sound better."-- Richard Rodgers

"It is so much fun to sing with Ella. It is so nice to sing with someone who does more than make a pretty noise."-- Jo Stafford

"The one radio voice that I listened to above others belonged to Ella Fitzgerald. There was a quality to her voice that fascinated me, and I'd sing along with her, trying to catch the subtle ways she shaded her voice, the casual yet clean way she sang the words."-- Doris Day

ScattingElla – 1st person to develop

vocalization techniqueUses non-sense words/syllablesSing improvised melody/rhythmsElla- well known for mimicking

instruments Ella- incorporated popular songs,

a variety of musical genres, and impressions of famous musicians – as comedic relief

“One Note Samba” – Ella Fitzgerald

“It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing”- Ella Fitzgerald

“Mack The Knife” – Ella Fitzgerald

“How High The Moon” Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra

The Great American Song BookReleased in 1956 – first song bookMade a total of 8 song books during 1956-1964Ella’s attempt to cross over to the non-jazz

audience Features American popular music written by

composers Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and George Gershwin

Featured orchestras, big bands, and small jazz combos backing up Ella when she sings

Songs feature a fusion of Broadway, Blues, and Jazz

“Manhattan” – Ella Fitzgerald

“I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” - Ella Fitzgerald

Pop CrossoverVery rare pop appearances – focused mostly

on spreading the musical genre of jazzAppearances with artists such as Tom Jones

and Frank Sinatra – individuals who fuse jazz/pop into their music

Performed songs such as – “Hey Jude” and “Hard Days Night”

Songs contained a fusion - of jazz elements and imitated pop vocal styling’s/vocal recordings she heard on the radio

“Sunny” – Ella Fitzgerald and Tom Jones

“Hey Jude”- Ella Fitzgerald

Why Should We Care About Ella?She open doors for future vocalists- music

became more aware of vocalists rather than just focusing on instrumentalists

Started the fusion of jazz with other musical genres

Genre reached to wider audiences because of her

A Change maker in black history/oppression – in the field of music

A lot of 21st century artists copy Ella’s vocal techniques into their music/ music crossovers

SourcesThe Official Site of The First Lady

of Song - http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/

Ella Fitzgerald Biography - http://www.biography.com/people/ella-fitzgerald-9296210

Ella Fitzgerald- http://www.lyricsfreak.com/e/ella+fitzgerald/biography.html