She was the “First Lady of Song.” Ella Fitzgerald sang with the biggest stars of jazz. That includes Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong! However, this special singer was a titan too. April 25 would have been her 100th birthday.
Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia, in 1917. She grew up with her mother in Yonkers, New York. As a kid, she worked as a messenger. But she dreamed of being on stage.
Ella finally got her first chance in 1934. She performed at New York City’s famous Apollo Theater. At first, Ella thought she would be a dancer. But she was too shy. Instead, she used her voice. Fitzgerald won the contest!
Soon, Ella became popular. She developed her own style. Fitzgerald used “scatting.” She made noises like an instrument with her voice. Some of her songs, like “Summertime,” became classics. “I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them,” songwriter Ira Gershwin said.
Wé McDonald was born after Ella Fitzgerald died in 1996. However, the soulful singer calls Ella “my favorite singer.” Fitzgerald couldn’t “sing in some places because she was black,” said McDonald. Ella broke through many of those . “She moved mountains as a person of color and a woman,” added McDonald.
Dashiell Feiler works for the Jazz Foundation of America. “Ella is famous for her improvisation,” he said. Ella never sang a song the same way! Fitzgerald improvised in her life too. “She was given few opportunities,” Feiler explained. “But she .”
Every time Ella took the stage, she created something new. After a long career, she died in 1996. She showed that greatness could come from anywhere — with dedication. “It isn’t where you came from,” Ella once said. “It’s where you’re going that counts.”
Updated April 25, 2017, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Ryan Cramer
