Ella Fitzgerald 1917-1996 was an American jazz singer often referred to as the "First Lady of Song" and the "Queen of Jazz." She was born in Newport News, Virginia, to a single mother who worked as a laundress. Ella's parents split when she was young, and she moved with her mother and stepfather to Yonkers, New York.
Ella had a difficult childhood, and often escaped by listening to the radio and singing along with the songs. Particularly influenced by the recordings of Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby. In 1932, at the age of 15, Ella's mother died, and she was sent to a reform school for a short time.
In 1934, Ella entered an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, where she planned to dance. But when she saw that the Edwards Sisters, a popular dance act, were also performing, she decided to sing instead. She chose the song "Judy" by Hoagy Carmichael, and her performance won the contest.
From there, Ella began singing in various clubs around Harlem. She was eventually noticed by bandleader Chick Webb, who offered her a job singing with his orchestra. Her first recording, "Love and Kisses," was made with Webb's band in 1935.
In 1938, Ella recorded a version of the nursery rhyme "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" with Webb's orchestra. The song became a hit, and Ella's career took off. She went on to record many popular songs, including "Dream a Little Dream of Me," "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," and "Mack the Knife."
Ella's voice was known for its range, clarity, and purity of tone. She was also a master of scat singing, a style of improvisation where the singer uses nonsense syllables to create rhythmic patterns. Ella's scat singing was particularly innovative and influential, and it inspired many other jazz musicians.
Throughout her career, Ella performed with many other jazz greats, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. She also won numerous awards, including 13 Grammy Awards and the National Medal of Arts.
Ella continued to perform and record until the end of her life. She died in 1996 at the age of 79. Today, she is remembered as one of the greatest jazz singers of all time, and her recordings continue to be celebrated and listened to by fans around the world.