Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Singer
Best known as: Jazz vocalist known for "scat singing"
She is the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. She won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums.
She worked with all the greatest jazzmen, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman.
Born: April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia
Died: June 15, 1996, her Beverly Hills home, Los Angeles, California (Complications from diabetes)
Father: William Fitzgerald
Mother: Temperance (called Tempie) Williams, she died in 1932
Her parents separated in 1918
First husband: Benjamin Kornegay (marriage annulled after two years; Kornegay was a thief who had a criminal record)
Second husband: Ray Brown (married December 1947; divorced 1953)
Son: Ray Brown Jr (adopted; son of Frances her half-sister; survived her)
Ella Fitzgerald Her Life Part I
After the separation of her parents, Ella and her mother moved to Yonkers, New-York to live with of her mother boyfriend: Joseph Da Silva. Her half-sister Frances was born in 1923.To survive, Joe dug ditches and was a part-time chauffeur. "Tempie" worked at a laundromat and did some catering.
Ella Fitzgerald enjoyed dancing and singing with her friends. Some evenings they would take the train into Harlem and watch various acts at the Apollo Theater.
1932: Ella Fitzgerald's mother died in a car accident. Virginia, the sister of her mother, took Ella with her. Joseph died of an heart attack and her half-sister Frances joined them.
Ella entered into an unhappy and difficult period of her life (got trouble with the police, sent to a reform school from which she escaped). At fifteen he was broke and was starving.
1934: Her name was pulled in a weekly drawing at the Apollo and she won the possibility to enter competition in Amateur Night. She wanted to dance but changed her mind and began to sing (a song from Hoagy Carmichael's "Judy").And the miracle happened: the noisy crowd quieted and after "Judy" they wanted another song.(it was "The Object of my Affections" from the Boswell Sister's record).
That night, in the band, there was Benny Carter (saxophonist and arranger).He helped Ella to meet people who could help her launch her career.
Ella Fitzgerald entered and won all talent show.
Ella Fitzgerald Her Life Part II
January 1935: She won the chance to perform with the Tiny Bradshaw band at the Harlem Opera House. She first met drummer and bandleader Chick Webb. He offered Ella the opportunity to test with his band. They were playing a dance at Yale University and he said that "If the kids like her she stays". It was a huge success and Ella travel with Chick Webb for $12.50 a week).1936: Ella made her first recording "Love and isses" (released under the Decca label).
1938: At 21 Ella recorded a nursery rhyme, "A-Tisket,A-Tasket." (sold 1 million copies, was number one and stayed on the pop charts for 17 weeks). Ella Fitzgerald was famous.
1939: June 16 Chick Webb died.The band was renamed "Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Band".
1946: On tour with Dizzy Gillespie's band she fell in love with bassist Ray Brown. Ray was working for producer and manager Norman Granz on the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" tour. She joined the Philarmonic tour. Worked with Louis Armstrong.
1956-1964: She recorded covers of other musicians' albums (Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, and Rodgers and Hart).
She became a favorite guest on differents television variety shows ("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.").
1952: Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Brown divorced (ground : busy work schedules).
Ella Fitzgerald Her Life Part III
Norman Granz was well known for his belief about civil rights. Required equal treatment for his musicians, black or white. Refused to accept any discrimination at hotels, restaurants or concert halls.1974: Ella spent two weeks performing in New York with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. She received the Kennedy Center Honors for her continuing contributions to the arts.
Ella had a deep concern for child welfare and she frequently made generous donations to organizations for disadvantaged youths.
When her sister died, she felt she had to take care of her sisteer's family.
1986: Ella underwent quintuple coronary bypass surgery. She was also diagnosed with diabetes.She refused to slow down and continued to maintain a busy schedule of appearances.
1987: President Ronald Reagan awarded Ella the National Medal of Arts. Several years later, France presented her with the Commander of Arts and Letters award. She received some honorary doctorates from Yale and Darthmouth (and many others Universities).
From the beginning of her carieer till the 90's,Ella had recorded over 200 albums.
1990: Ella, 76 years old then, was forced to have her lower legs amputated. She rarely performed thereafter. But she enjoyed spending her time with her son and Alice, her granddauhter. She said :"I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds and hear Alice laugh.".
1991: She gave her final concert at New York's Carnegie Hall she performed there for the 26th time)
1996: June 15 she died in her home at Beverly Hills. On the Hollywood Walk of Fame bunches of white flowers stood next to her star.
She rests in the "Sanctuary of the Bells" (section of the Sunset Mission Mausoleum) at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, Calififornia.
Ella Fitzgerald Grammy Award
1980: Grammy Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female "A Perfect Match--Ella & Basie"
1979: Grammy Best Jazz Vocal Performance "Fine and Mellow"
1979: Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award
1977: Special American Music Award
1976: Grammy Best Jazz Vocal Performance "Fitzgerald & Pass ... Again"
1967: The Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award
1962: Grammy Best Solo Vocal Performance--Female "Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson Riddle"
1960: Grammy Best Vocal Performance, Female--Single or Track "Mack the Knife"
1960: Grammy Best Vocal Performance, Female--Album "Mack the Knife/Ella in Berlin"
1959: Grammy Best Vocal Performance, Female "But Not For Me"
1959: Grammy Best Jazz Performance, Soloist "Ella Swings Lightly"
1958: Grammy Best Vocal Performance, Female "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook"
1958: Grammy Best Jazz Performance "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook"
Ella Fitzgerald Quotes
"Just don't give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong".
"I know I'm no glamour girl, and it's not easy for me to get up in front of a crowd of people. It used to bother me a lot, but now I've got it figured out that God gave me this talent to use, so I just stand there and sing".
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella sings "Georgia on My Mind" Sweden 1963
Ella sings "Georgia on My Mind" Sweden 1963
Runtime: 3:21 | 416419 views | 466 Comments
Ella Fitzgerald Love Letters from Ella
As with Ray Sings, Basie Swings, Love Letters from Ella has undeniable appeal. Recorded in the 1970s, the great singer is in fine, relaxed, late-season form on a collection of ballads including "My Old Flame" and "Cry Me a River" and medium tempo tunes including "Withcraft" and "Our Love is Here to Stay." (There is also a pair of unaltered, previously unreleased performances by Ella and Basie and band and a 1983 track teaming her with Andre Previn.) The new orchestrations by Jorge Calandrelli are tasteful, and the edits are clean.
But if you're going to play these archival games, you owe it to listeners to spell out what was done and why in greater track-by-track detail than is done here. Exactly what old accompaniment did the new accompaniment replace? Did a duet with guitarist Joe Pass really need to be "updated" with a rhythm section? When record companies start thinking these things don't matter, jazz is in even bigger trouble than we thought. --Lloyd Sachs
Love Letters from Ella
1. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
2. Cry Me a River
3. You Turned the Tables On Me
4. I've Got the World On a String
5. Witchcraft
6. My Old Flame
7. The One I Love (Belongs To Somebody Else)
8. Take Love Easy
9. Our Love Is Here To Stay
10. Some Other Spring
Release Date: 07/31/2007
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Ella Fitzgerald Pure Ella: The Very Best of Ella Fitzgerald
If you're not familiar with her work, pick this up immediately. Are there more complete collections than this one? Sure. But this is a great introduction to her amazing, prolific career and even includes collaborations with Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. How could you go wrong with a line up like that? Don't miss out on this collection! -- Bruce Aguilar (Hollywood, CA)
Pure Ella: The Very Best of Ella Fitzgerald
1. Mack The Knife
2. Blue Skies
3. A Tisket, A Tasket
4. They Can't Take That Away From Me
5. Misty
6. You'll Have To Swing It (Mr. Paganini)
7. Tea For Two
8. Love Is Here To Stay
9. Night And Day
10. My Funny Valentine
11. The Boy Fom Ipanema
12. Too Marvelous For Words
13. Take The 'A' Train
14. Summertime
15. How High The Moon
16. All The Things You Are
17. Over The Rainbow
18. Oh, Lady, Be Good
Release Date: 03/31/1998
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Ella Fitzgerald Albums
Pure Ella: The Very Best of Ella Fitzgerald
Release Date: 03/31/1998
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The Best of the Song Books
Release Date: 09/21/1993
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Best Of Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Release Date: 08/26/1997
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Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Songbook
Release Date: 06/24/1997
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Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook, Vol. 2
Release Date: 10/25/1990
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