Ella Fitzgerald was the first African-American singer to win a grammy. Even though she was very successful later in her life, she didn’t have an easy childhood. Ella was born to William Fitzgerald and Temperance Williams Fitzgerald on April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia. Her parents broke up soon after her birth, and she moved with her mom to live in Yonkers, New York with her mom’s boyfriend (http://www.biography.com/people/ella-fitzgerald-9296210#early-years). Ella’s mom died in 1932 when Ella was 15, leaving Ella alone during the Great Depression. Ella then moved in with her aunt, but after she started skipping school, Ella was trying to make it on her own living in the streets. Since she still wanted to be an entertainer, she signed up for a contest at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre. After captivating the crowd, Ella won first place and the prize of $25. …show more content…
With the performance at the Apollo Theater jumpstarting her career, Ella joined Chick’s band as a singer. Ella recorded “Love and Kisses” with the band and found herself performing regularly at a popular club. Ella co-wrote and recorded a song called “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” which became her first number one hit. In that same year, Ella recorded her second number one hit called “I Found My Yellow Basket.” Ella also performed with the Benny Goodman Orchestra, and had her own side project called Ella Fitzgerald and Her Savoy Eight. After Chick died, Ella became the leader of the band and renamed it Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Orchestra. She was temporarily married to a man named Ben Kornegay, but she had their marriage