Ella Fitzgerald Research Paper

Often referred to as "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was one of the most popular female jazz singers in the United States. Throughout her career, Ella was awarded thirteen Grammys and sold over 40 million albums. With a voice that not only encompassed a large range, but a dynamic and powerful sound, Ella could sing almost anything from scatting to the popular tunes of her day. She performed in the top venues all around the world to packed houses, with audiences as diverse as the music she created. Ella came from a small town and impoverished family, but through her talent and determination, skyrocketed to fame creating a legacy that has withstood the sands of time.

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born on April 25th, 1917 in Newport News,

The news of Tempie’s death shook Ella greatly. Shortly following her mother’s death, Ella was taken in by Tempie’s sister Virginia. After moving, Ella had a hard time adjusting to her new surroundings and became unhappy eventually starting to skip school frequently thus causing her grades to drop. It was at this time that she got into trouble with the police and was sent to a reform school. However, things got even worse for Ella while she was in the reform school as she often suffered beatings from those in charge. She soon escaped from the school and found herself living alone and without any money during the middle of the Great Depression. It is believed that Ella survived by singing on the streets, a far cry from the top venues she would soon be performing

He was very impressed with her talent and tried to help her advance in the music business by introducing her to people that could help launch her career. Through Carter’s support, and that of her ever growing fan club, Ella began entering every talent show she could find and ended up winning almost all of them. In January 1935, Ella was awarded the chance to perform with Tiny Bradshaw at the Harlem Opera House for a week. It was there she first met Chick Webb, the famous drummer and band leader. Although Webb had already hired another singer for his band (Charlie Linton), he too was impressed by Ella’s talent. Because of this, and despite her “gawky and unkempt” appearance, he gave her the opportunity to sing with his band at a dance at Yale University as a test run. Webb was quoted for saying that “if the kids like her, she stays”. She was a raging success and true to his promise, Chick hired Ella to travel with the band. She recorded “Love and Kisses” with the band in 1935 and was soon a regular artist at the Savoy, one of Harlem’s hottest nightclubs. It didn’t take too long for Ella to emerge from the shadows and become a star attraction coming out with major hits such as her first number one single, “A-tisket, A-tasket”. This single, which she co-wrote at the age of twenty-one in 1938, sold one million copies, and stayed on the pop charts for seventeen weeks thus bringing