Ella Fitzgerald- The First Lady of Song

Born April 25 1917, Fitzgerald was an American Jazz singer and legend in her field. With a voice known for its smoothness and variety, she could soothe the masses with one note and being one of the best selling Jazz Artists of all time- garnering 14 Grammy’s, Ella’s music is still loved and listened to today.

Ella began her career with dreams of being a dancer. But after a botched performance in an amateur show in 1934, she sang instead, bagging her first place. The next year Ella would give her name to the Chick Webb orchestra, with Webb becoming a guardian to Ella following the death of her mother. The first song she ever recorded was in 1935, titled, “Love and Kisses”, and her first hit “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” followed in 1938. Following Webbs death and the collapse of the band, Ella began her solo career, touring with the likes of Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Her music was more interpreted than researched, and her musical intuition was masterfully put on display by her “songbooks”, which were recorded from 1956 to 64. During this time she interpreted nearly 250 songs from the likes of Irving Berlin to Duke Ellington. With the help of this material and an amazing jazz orchestra Ella’s magnificent voice and skill was put on full display, This led to a massive rise in her career. Fitzgerald then became the star attraction of Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic concert tours, starring on films and television. However, during the 70’s her health began to deteriorate, but Ella wouldn’t give up. She was born to perform and continued to do so until 1991 when she sadly performed for the last time, dying shortly after due to complications stemming from diabetes.

With a career that lasted six decades, it’s no surprise her music still inspires to this day. This is clearly put on display on her Spotify page, which still has nearly 4 million monthly listeners, alongside almost 120 million plays on her rendition of “Dream a Little Dream of Me”. It’s clear she will continue to be an icon for many years to come. She had a voice with variety and soul, she took a great song and somehow made it better, with Ira Gershwin once saying, "I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them." She brought audiences together with only her voice.

With Salvant saying, “She was not a sex symbol, and yet she was very successful. It's a testament to both the audience and — of course, most of all — her artistry. And we're not even talking about racism. That a black woman could be so popular across the board with both black and white audiences — that's a beautiful thing."

Her voice could only be described as timeless, her tone, pitch and abilities are still to be topped today. Fitzgerald will always be known as one of the best singers of all time, and even after death, her music will always be cherished and held in our hearts.

“I'm very shy, and I shy away from people. But the moment I hit the stage, it's a different feeling I get nerve from somewhere; maybe it's because it's something I love to do.”