“First Lady of Song,” “Queen of Jazz,” and “Lady Ella” were some common names among many others that this sensational vocalist was known by. Her five—almost six—decade career proved to be one that thrived despite changing musical trends, winning fourteen Grammy awards and selling well over forty million albums. Rising from the streets of New York, Ella Fitzgerald quickly became known for her vocal style and her impressive scatting abilities. In her younger years, Ella proved to be the same ambitious person we knew—one who was determined to see her name in lights. Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born on April 25th, 1917 in Newport News City to Tempie Williams, a laundress and William Fitzgerald, a transfer wagon driver. By 1921, Fitzgerald’s father was no longer in the picture and there was a …show more content…
Upon arrival, they found life was not going to be as easy or blissful as they had hoped. Living in a single room where children and families were put for temporary shelter, both eventually found jobs and in 1923, Williams gave birth to another daughter named Frances who Ella became especially close with. That same year, Ella started her education. In the Summer of 1925, Ella and her family moved to an apartment in a neighborhood that was made up of Italians and blacks predominately as well as a few other ethnic groups. As Ella grew up, she entered Public School 18, where she befriended Rose Sarubbi—a white, middle-class, Italian girl. Sarubbi recalls Ella as a “very happy girl who loved to dance and sing. Despite her poor upbringing she always remained positive and jolly” (1). Ella’s love for dance bloomed in third grade and became much more than a simple fascination—rather it became an obsession. Annette Miller—a girl who lived in the same apartment house-- noted how her younger brother, Charles and Ella were constantly practicing different