Ella Fitzgerald

World History

Scrapbook

Phoebe Gydesen Pd. 7

Early Childhood

• Born- April 25, 1917• Newport News, Va.• Moved to Yonkers, N.

Y. with mother, Tempie, boyfriend Joseph Da Silva, & half-sister, Frances

• Young & naïve, Ella was a runner for local gamblers

• Was a tomboy, but liked to sing and dance with her friends

Adolescent Years

• 1932- Tempie died from car crash injuries

• Soon after, Joe died from a heart attack– Ella and Frances go to

live with their Aunt Virginia

• Ella’s grades dropped dramatically

• Skipped school frequently

• Got into trouble with the police

• Sent to reform school– Life was unbearable– Suffered beatings from

teachers– Finally escaped at age

15, only to find herself broke and alone

First Performance

• 1934- Ella’s name is drawn out of a hat to perform at Amateur Night at the Apollo

• Was going to dance, but decided to sing at the last minute– Audience begged for

an encore by the end of her song, “Judy” by Hoagy Carmichael

Ella’s Career Beginning

• Began entering all the talent shows she could

• In 1935, Ella won the opportunity to perform at the Harlem Opera House with the Tiny Bradshaw band

• Chick Webb offered Ella the chance to perform with his band at a Yale University dance

• She was a hit & toured with Chick’s band for $12.50 a week

Ella’s Career

• Ella recorded “Love and Kisses” in 1936

• Performed in Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom regularly

• The era of big swing bands was changing, focus turned more towards bebop

Scat

• Ella sang a rendition of "(If You Can't Sing It) You Have to Swing It."

• Began experimenting with scat singing– Used her voice to

imitate different instruments

• Recorded version of “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” at 21, in 1938– Topped the charts at

number 1– Stayed on the charts

for 17 weeks– Sold 1 million copies

Love

• Ella married Ben Kornegay– Had marriage annulled

when she learned of his criminal history

• Toured with Dizzy Gillespie’s band in 1946– Fell in love with bassist

Ray Brown– Adopted a son-Ray Jr.

Coming into Her Own

• Ella joined the Philharmonic tour

• From 1956-1964, Recorded covers of other musician’s songs

• Also appeared on many television variety shows & became a favorite

• Spent two weeks in 1974 performing with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie in New York

Accomplishments

• In 1979, Ella was inducted into the Down Beat magazine Hall of Fame

• Received Kennedy Center Honors for her contributions to the arts

• She also won many Grammy Awards for her vocal performances

• President Ronald Reagan awarded Ella the National Medal of Arts in 1987

• She received the Commander of Arts and Letters award from France several years later

• Yale, Dartmouth and other universities gave Ella honorary doctorates

Ella’s Career Comes to a Close

• Ella underwent quintuple coronary bypass surgery in September of 1986

• She also had a valve in her heart replaced and was diagnosed with diabetes

• Everyone said she’d never sing again

• She proved them wrong

• Ella had recorded over 200 albums by 1990

• She gave her last performance at Carnegie Hall in 1991– It was her 26th

performance there

Ella’s Legacy

• On June 15, 1996, Ella died at her home in Beverly Hills

• She was buried in the "Sanctuary of the Bells" section of the Sunset Mission Mausoleum at Inglewood Park Cemetery

• Fans everywhere mourned her passing and signs of remembrance appeared right away

Ella Fitzgerald

“The First Lady of Song”