Fitzgerald, Ella

born April 25, 1917, Newport News, Va., U.S.

died June 15, 1996, Beverly Hills, Calif.

U.S. singer.

She won an amateur contest at Harlem's Apollo Theatre in 1934 and became the star of drummer Chick Webb's big band the following year. Her association with manager and impresario Norman Granz in the late 1940s led to performances with Jazz at the Philharmonic and a famous series of "Songbook" recordings, each featuring the work of a single popular-song composer. Fitzgerald was one of the greatest scat singers in jazz; her clear, girlish voice and virtuosity made her one of the best-selling vocal recording artists in history.

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▪ 1997

      U.S. singer (b. April 25, 1917, Newport News, Va.—d. June 15, 1996, Beverly Hills, Calif.), possessed a sweet, clear voice that propelled her to the status of international legend during a career that spanned some six decades. Employing her enormous vocal range and stylish inventive interpretations, in both ballads and jazz improvisations known as "scat," she sold more than 40 million records. As a child, Fitzgerald wanted to be a dancer, but when she panicked at an amateur contest in 1934 at New York City's Apollo Theatre and sang instead, she won first prize. She soon was singing with the Chick Webb orchestra. She made her first recording, "Love and Kisses," in 1935, and her first hit, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket"—fashioned from the children's song—followed in 1938. After Webb died (1939), Fitzgerald led the band until it broke up in 1942. She then soloed in cabarets and theatres, toured internationally with such pop and jazz stars as Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, and Dizzy Gillespie, and recorded prolifically. In the mid-1950s the jazz impresario Norman Granz became Fitzgerald's manager, and from 1956 to 1967 he produced the "songbook" albums that defined her legacy. In that 19-volume series, she sang some 250 songs—a blend of the well-known and the little-known—by such composers as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, and Irving Berlin. Fitzgerald also appeared in films, notably Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), on television, and in concerts with symphony orchestras, and she recorded a number of live concert albums. Health problems that began in the 1970s slowed her down, but even after heart surgery (1986) she continued performing. In 1993, however, her career was curtailed following complications stemming from diabetes, which resulted in the amputation of both of her legs below the knees. Fitzgerald won numerous Grammy awards, was a 1979 recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement, and in 1987 was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

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▪ American singer

born April 25, 1917, Newport News, Va., U.S.

died June 15, 1996, Beverly Hills, Calif.

 American singer who became world famous for the wide range and rare sweetness of her voice. She became an international legend during a career that spanned some six decades.

      Singing in a style influenced by the jazz vocalist Connee Boswell, Fitzgerald won amateur talent contests in New York City before she joined the Chick Webb (Webb, Chick) orchestra in 1935; Webb became the teenaged Fitzgerald's guardian when her mother died. She made her first recording, “Love and Kisses,” in 1935, and her first hit, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” followed in 1938. After Webb's death in 1939, she led his band until it broke up in 1942. She then soloed in cabarets and theatres, toured internationally with such pop and jazz stars as Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, and Dizzy Gillespie, and recorded prolifically.

      During much of her early career she had been noted for singing and recording novelty songs. Her status rose dramatically in the 1950s when jazz impresario Norman Granz became her manager. From 1956 to 1964 she recorded a 19-volume series of “songbooks,” in which she interpreted nearly 250 outstanding songs by Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and Johnny Mercer. This material, combined with the best jazz instrumental support, clearly demonstrated Fitzgerald's remarkable interpretative skills. Although her diction was excellent, her rendition of lyrics was intuitive rather than studied. For many years the star attraction of Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic concert tours, she was also one of the best-selling jazz vocal recording artists in history. She appeared in films (notably Pete Kelly's Blues in 1955), on television, and in concert halls throughout the world. She also recorded a number of live concert albums and produced a notable duet version of Porgy and Bess (1957) with Armstrong. During the 1970s she began to experience serious health problems, but she continued to perform periodically, even after heart surgery in 1986, until about 1993.

      Fitzgerald's clear tone and wide vocal range were complemented by her mastery of rhythm, harmony, intonation, and diction. She was an excellent ballad singer, conveying a winsome, ingenuous quality. Her infectious scat singing brought excitement to such concert recordings as Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin and was widely imitated by others. She won 12 Grammy Awards and several other honours.

Additional Reading

Stuart Nicholson, Ella Fitzgerald (1993, reissued 1996); Geoffrey Mark Fidelman, First Lady of Song (1994, reissued 1996).

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