Ella Fitzgerald is an internationally recognized jazz artist who dominated the 20th century. Born in Newport News, Virginia in 1917, the American singer enjoyed a childhood where she could develop her musical talents. For a time, she had a normal childhood, playing baseball, dancing, and seeing shows at the Apollo Theater in Harlem (“Biography”). The 1930’s were filled with tragedy for Fitzgerald. Her mother died in 1932, leaving Ella in the care of her aunt (“Biography”). Soon afterward, Ella’s stepfather Joe also died. The years that followed were filled with heartbreak, struggle, and growth (“Biography). In 1935 Fitzgerald caught her first break as a member of the Chick Webb orchestra (Britannica, “Ella”). Every since a stellar performance in an amateur competition in 1934, Fitzgerald had been winning talent shows all over the city (“Biography”). Seeing that she needed help, Webb accepted legal guardianship of Fitzgerald. Ella enjoyed relative …show more content…
However, it may be better said the privilege lay with the Philharmonic, because Fitzgerald became a jazz superstar. She is known as one of the best selling artists in history, with respect to jazz vocals. Fitzgerald enjoyed further fame, making appearances in films like Pete Kelly’s Blues (Britannica, “Ella”). Ella also graces the television as a guest on a number of shows. She made appearances on big name shows like “The Andy Williams Show”, “The Tonight Show”, “The Bing Crosby Show”, and the “Frank Sinatra Show”.
The later quarter of the 20th century brought a number of health problems for Fitzgerald. She had a quintuple coronary bypass surgery in 1986 but that didn’t stop her from performing. However, knowing that her career was coming to an end, she closed the last chapter of her career with a performance at Carnegie Hall in 1991. (“Biography”). In 1993 Ella had both of her legs amputated as a result of diabetic complications (Britannica,