Ella Fitzgerald Research Paper

Gianna Hotton Ms. Jones Research - 3/11/24 - 3/15/24.

Picture credits: Globe Photos Entertainment.

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald was one of the most influential people of the Jazz Era. Her voice could’ve been considered an instrument, because of how flexible it was. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz, and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. Her singing led to her being the first Black woman to ever win a Grammy! Fitzgerald also worked with Duke Ellington, Count Bosie, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, and Benny Goodman throughout her career. She performed at many top venues all over the world and packed them. Her audience was quite diverse. From rich to poor, from Black, to Asian, to Hispanic, she even had all

She hated it and ran away in 1934, leaving her homeless. Later on, Ella was determined to make something out of herself and started singing and dancing for change in the streets of Hudson. Then, in November of that year, she entered a competition at Apollo Theatre and won for best new talent after she sang. Then, in January of 1935, Ella won another competition at the Harlem Opera House, similar to the one she won at the Apollo Theatre. Ella was inspired by Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and the Boswell Sisters. Especially the lead singer, Connee Boswell. In fact, the songs she sang at the Apollo Theatre were “The Object of my Affection”, and “Judy”. They were both sung in the style of Connee Boswell. Shortly after that, in May of 1935, an opportunity opened for her when William “Chick” Webb (1905 - 1939), offered her a job as a vocalist in his bebop band. She made her first recording, Love and Kisses with Chick Webb in 1935, and co-wrote “A Tisket, a Tasket” with the band arranger, Van Alexander. The song was based on a game she’d played as a child. It would also be her debut. Ella also married a man named Benjamin Kornegay, who was a shipyard worker and a

That led to a songbook series, and then that became The Great American Standards of the era. When her contract with Decca Records ended, she was signed to her manager’s Verve record label, making “Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook”, which was considered the turning point in her life. She also started to record the works of Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, George Rogers, and Lorenz Hart. Sometimes, Ella was criticized for her lack of emotional depth. She continued to record and perform, until 1990. Prior to that, her being sick tried to slow her down. However, she still managed to be the same Ella Fitzgerald everyone was used to. She also had a nine-month recuperation from quintuple bypass surgery in 1986, which was her longest hiatus from singing. Her diabetes affected her eyesight and circulation in her legs. She had many eye surgeries and even a leg amputation. In her last couple of years of life, she lived in Beverly Hills surrounded by friends and family. She succumbed to her death on June 15, 1996. Many people around the world were devastated. Even though Ella Fitzgerald has passed, we have many artists that are inspired by her. Such as Adele, Mica Paris, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, KT Tunstall, and Katie Melua,