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Ella Fitzgerald
Worksheets
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Ella Fitzgerald Facts
Ella Fitzgerald was an American jazz vocalist with a vocal range spanning three octaves. She was often referred to as the "First Lady of Song," the "Queen of Jazz," and "Lady Ella".
★ Born on April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia, Ella Jane Fitzgerald was the child of a common-law marriage between William and Temperance Fitzgerald. Her parents separated soon after her birth. In 1934, the death of her mother made her struggle at a very young age.
★ Young Ella was a self-professed tomboy working on odd jobs to make a living. She was active in sports and showed an early interest in singing and dancing.
★ As a teenager without the guidance of her mother, Ella went through difficult times. She frequently had troubles with the police. At the height of the Great Depression, Fitzgerald pursued her passion for singing.
★ In 1947, she married Ray Brown, a band bassist.
EARLY AND PERSONAL LIFE
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Ella Fitzgerald Facts★ In 1934, she joined and won an amateur singing contest held at the
Apollo theater. The next year, she performed with Tiny Bradshaw at the Harlem Opera House. There, she encountered drummer Chick Webb, who recruited her for a one-nighter performance at Yale University.
★ In 1938, Fitzgerald, along with the guardianship of Webb, made her first hit A Tisket-A-Tasket. It was followed by the B-side T'aint What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It), as well as Liza, and Undecided, in 1938.
★ Fitzgerald pursued her solo career years after the death of Webb. In 1946, she was managed by Norman Granz and toured with Dizzy Gillespie’s band.
★ Her voice was recognized by jazz artists after the recording of Lady Be Good, How High the Moon, and Flying Home.
★ In 1955, Fitzgerald appeared in the film Pete Kelly’s Blues. From then, she recorded a number of albums under Granz’s Verve label. She won her first four Grammy Awards in 1959, the same time she was recognized as one of the great singers of all time.
★ In 1956, she was paired with another famous jazz musician, Louis Armstrong and recorded a number of songs including Like Someone in Love, and 1958's Porgy and Bess.
★ In the 1960s, she performed live concert albums including Ella in Berlin where she earned her Grammy Awards for Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track, Female, and Best Vocal Performance Album, Female. In 1999, the album was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
★ After the Verve was sold to MGM in 1963, Fitzgerald recorded for labels including Capitol, Atlantic, and Reprise.
★ At the 10th annual Grammy Awards in 1967, Ella was given the Bing Crosby Award later named the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
★ By the 1950s and 60s, her unique ability to mimic instrumental sounds helped popularize the vocal improvisation of scatting, which became her signature technique.
★ Throughout the 1970s and 80s, she released more albums and paired with other artists, including Basie, Oscar Peterson, and Joe Pass.
FITZGERALD’S CAREER
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Ella Fitzgerald Facts★ She was honored with a Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Medal
of Honor Award in 1979 followed by the National Medal of Arts given by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. More followed, including a Commander of Arts and Letters award from France, and honorary doctorates from Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, and other institutions.
★ She had heart surgery in 1986 and suffers from diabetes. This left her blind, and she had both legs amputated in 1994. Her last recording was done in 1989 and performance at the Carnegie Hall in 1991.
★ Ella Fitzgerald died on June 15, 1996, at her home in Beverly Hills. She left a lifetime legacy in music, especially in jazz. Fitzgerald remains an influential icon for music in general and African-American artists.
LATER LIFE AND LEGACY
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Queen of JazzName: ________________________________
Ella Fitzgerald, dubbed as the First Lady of Song, is considered as the most popular female jazz singer. Can you write a short biographical narrative about her?
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
EARLY AND PERSONAL LIFE
CAREER AND LEGACY
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All About that JazzName: ________________________________
Ella Fitzgerald was among the most prominent Jazz artists during this age. Fill in the blanks to complete facts about the Jazz Age.
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
Jazz was invented by _________ in New Orleans, in the late 1800s.
The book _____________ by F. Scott Fitzgerald was based on the Jazz Age.
The United Nations designated ________ as the International Jazz Day.
Women during this time already has the right to _____.
The jazz age was during the end of World War I and the Great __________. _________ is one of the key
features of jazz music.
April 15th
The Great GatsbyAlice in Wonderland
White Americans
Migration
Depression
Hip hopImprovisation
April 30th work
vote
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Other Jazz SingersName: ________________________________
Take a photo and briefly describe Ella Fitzgerald’s contemporaries.
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
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Jazz Instruments Name: ________________________________
Identify the jazz instruments pictured below.
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
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Music SearchName: ________________________________
Look for Ella Fitzgerald songs in the grid below. Cross them out once you find them and write the words in the blocks below.
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
S U M M E R T I M E
A Q W D F C A G H B
G M I S T Y F G T L
Z H Y N I L O V Y U
M Y R O M A N C E E
F G A W C G Q W S S
H B J Q W A X N G K
S A T I N D O L L I
C V Z A Q S V B Q E
B E W I T C H E D S
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Fitzgerald ChallengesName: ________________________________
Read about the life of Ella Fitzgerald and identify the challenges she faced before and during her career. In addition, answer the question below.
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
How did the experiences of Ella Fitzgerald inspire you?
CHALLENGES
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Truth About EllaName: ________________________________
Read the statements and write TRUE if correct. Otherwise, change the underlined words.
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
Over the course of her career, Ella Fitzgerald won 10 Grammy Awards.
She was dubbed as the “Queen of Song”.
Fitzgerald had her stage debut at the Apollo Theatre in 1934.
She was the first African-American to win a Grammy Award.
On June 27, 1991, the Queen of Jazz performed her last show at Carnegie Hall.
Fitzgerald suffered from lupus which caused both her legs to be amputated.
In 1946, she married bassist Ray Brown.
Fitzgerald owed her stint at the Mocambo Club to Elvis Presley.
In 1987, the National Medal of Arts was awarded to her by President Jimmy Carter.
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Music GenreName: ________________________________
Also known as the Queen of Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald was characterized as having a varied voice style. Given the set of pictures, identify the music genres.
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
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Ella and the GrammysName: ________________________________
Ella Fitzgerald was the first African-American Grammy Award winning artist and won this award 13 times. Do some research stating connecting facts about Ella and the Grammys.
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
1
2
3
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In Memory of FitzgeraldName: ________________________________
Compose a song commemorating the legacy of Ella Jane Fitzgerald. Try to use a flute for your accompaniment.
ELLA FITZGERALD WORKSHEETS
ELLA
FIT
ZGER
ALD
TITLE: ____________________
Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love
and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong.
- Ella Fitzgerald
