Ella Fitzgerald
“The First Lady of Song, whose clear tone and fearless scat set the standard for jazz singing.”
On November 21, 1934, a nervous teenager won Amateur Night at Harlem's Apollo Theater, taking the $25 first prize. That contest launched Ella Fitzgerald toward bandleader Chick Webb and a singing career that would make her the 'First Lady of Song.'
Apollo Discovery
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in Virginia in 1917 and faced a hard, unstable youth in Yonkers. Her 1934 Apollo Amateur Night win led drummer Chick Webb to hire her for his band.
Queen of Scat
After Webb's death she fronted his orchestra, then went solo with manager Norman Granz. Her pure tone and improvised scat singing made her the most admired jazz vocalist of her era.
The Songbooks
Beginning in 1956, her Songbook albums devoted to Porter, Gershwin, Ellington and others became definitive recordings. She earned 13 Grammys and worldwide acclaim before her death in 1996.
Career Timeline
- 1917Born April 25 in Newport News, Virginia
- 1934Wins Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater
- 1935Joins Chick Webb's orchestra
- 1938A-Tisket, A-Tasket becomes a huge hit
- 1939Takes over the band after Webb's death
- 1946Begins long association with Norman Granz
- 1956Launches landmark Songbook album series
- 1958Wins first Grammy Awards
- 1960Records the live Ella in Berlin album
- 1979Receives Kennedy Center Honor
- 1996Dies June 15 in Beverly Hills at 79
Biggest Hits
- She had planned to dance at the 1934 Apollo contest but sang instead and won.
- Her Songbook albums helped define the Great American Songbook for generations.
The Moment You Remember
On a Berlin stage she forgets the words to Mack the Knife and, rather than stop, sings her way through the lapse with improvised lyrics and easy laughter. The recorded moment became a classic, capturing her grace under pressure and her bottomless musical wit.
Portrait: Carl Van Vechten · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons