She never fully recovered from the surgery, and afterward, was rarely able to perform. Eventually Ella escaped from the reformatory. Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. When she was a child, Ella Fitzgerald moved to Yonkers, N.Y., with her mother's boyfriend, Joseph Da Silva. On June 15, 1996, Fitzgerald passed away at her home. Right here at FameChain. Sale. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. When da Silva died of a heart attack a short time later, Frances moved in too. [65] Her second marriage was in December 1947, to the famous bass player Ray Brown, whom she had met while on tour with Dizzy Gillespie's band a year earlier. [62] In 1993, she had to have both of her legs amputated below the knee due to the effects of diabetes. The composers and lyricists spotlighted on each set, taken together, represent the greatest part of the cultural canon known as the Great American Songbook. In 2012, Rod Stewart performed a "virtual duet" with Ella Fitzgerald on his Christmas album Merry Christmas, Baby, and his television special of the same name. Callaway's album To Ella with Love (1996) features 14 jazz standards made popular by Fitzgerald, and the album also features the trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917 in Newport News, Virginia, United States to William and Temperance "Tempie" Fitzgerald. "Fitzgerald, Ella (1917-1996), singer" published on by Oxford University Press. [15] But it was her 1938 version of the nursery rhyme, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket", a song she co-wrote, that brought her public acclaim. Date Accessed. Ella Fitzgerald, November 1946. In 2008, the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News named its new 276-seat theater the Ella Fitzgerald Theater. Managed by: Private User Last Updated: February 8, 2021 The 15-year-old found herself broke and alone during the Great Depression, and strove to endure. By 1925, Fitzgerald and her family had moved to nearby School Street, then a predominantly poor Italian area. The Song Book series ended up becoming the singer's most critically acclaimed and commercially successful work, and probably her most significant offering to American culture. (1947) was similarly popular and increased her reputation as one of the leading jazz vocalists.[31]. Once, while in Dallas touring for the Philharmonic, a police squad irritated by Normans principles barged backstage to hassle the performers. When she studied in third grade, she developed an interest in dancing and idolized Earl Snakehips Tucker. in Westchester County, New York. Tempie supported him by catering and working at a laundromat. She was laid to rest in the Sanctuary of the Bells section of the Sunset Mission Mausoleum at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, Calif. Emails will be sent by or on behalf of Universal Music Group 2220 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 865-4000. Britannica. Bridgewater's following album, Live at Yoshi's, was recorded live on April 25, 1998, what would have been Fitzgerald's 81st birthday. After gaining much fame from singing her own renditions of famous jazz songs, Fitzgerald began appearing on television shows like The Bing Crosby Show, "The Frank Sinatra Show," and "The Ed Sullivan Show." The Joy Of Ella Fitzgerald's Accessible Elegance. Fitzgerald and Pass appeared together on the albums, Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington recorded two live albums and two studio albums. On March 15, 1955, Ella Fitzgerald opened her initial engagement at the Mocambo nightclub in Hollywood,[36][37] after Marilyn Monroe lobbied the owner for the booking. She had her own side project, too, known as Ella Fitzgerald and Her Savoy Eight.[25]. [5] By 1925, Fitzgerald and her family had moved to nearby School Street, a poor Italian area. The theater is located several blocks away from her birthplace on Marshall Avenue. A later collection devoted to a single composer was released during her time with Pablo Records, Ella Abraa Jobim, featuring the songs of Antnio Carlos Jobim. When she was a child, Fitzgerald lived in the Colored Orphan Asylum in Riverdale, the Bronx. [11], Fitzgerald began skipping school, and her grades suffered. [6], Starting in third grade, Fitzgerald loved dancing and admired Earl Snakehips Tucker. She began her formal schooling at the age of six and was an outstanding student, progressing through a variety of faculties before enrolling in writer junior high school college in 1929. [43] Plagued by health problems, Fitzgerald made her last recording in 1991 and her last public performances in 1993. She switched schools before attending Benjamin Franklin Junior High School. Still going strong five years later, she was inducted into the Down Beat magazine Hall of Fame, and received Kennedy Center Honors for her continuing contributions to the arts. Due to a busy touring schedule, Ella and Ray were often away from home, straining the bond with their son. 2014. The Joy Of Ella Fitzgerald's Accessible Elegance. Her extensive cookbook collection was donated to the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University, and her extensive collection of published sheet music was donated to UCLA. "[53] She also appeared in a number of commercials for Kentucky Fried Chicken, singing and scatting to the fast-food chain's longtime slogan: "We do chicken right! Once in custody, the authorities sent fifteen-year-old Fitzgerald to reform school in Hudson, New York. Mark, Geoffrey. She received many other awards, including honorary doctorates from Yale, Dartmouth, and several other universities. The two women remained close for the rest of Fitzgerald's life. The pair separated soon after her birth, and Ella and her mother went to Yonkers, New York, where they eventually moved in with Tempie's longtime boyfriend, Joseph Da Silva. [7] She and her family were Methodists and were active in the Bethany African Methodist Episcopal Church, where she attended worship services, Bible study, and Sunday school. Unfortunately, busy work schedules also hurt Ray and Ellas marriage. She became an international legend during a career that spanned some six decades. Her accolades included 14 Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts, the NAACP's inaugural President's Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. [83] Fitzgerald is also referred to in the 1976 Stevie Wonder hit "Sir Duke" from his album Songs in the Key of Life, and the song "I Love Being Here With You", written by Peggy Lee and Bill Schluger. Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia, the child of a common-law marriage between William and Temperance "Tempie" Fitzgerald. Webb died of spinal tuberculosis on June 16, 1939,[23] and his band was renamed Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Orchestra, with Fitzgerald taking on the role of bandleader. She quickly became a favorite and frequent guest on numerous programs, including The Bing Crosby Show, The Dinah Shore Show, The Frank Sinatra Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, The Nat King Cole Show, The Andy Willams Show and The Dean Martin Show.. In 1991, she gave her final concert at New Yorks renowned Carnegie Hall. There, she was beaten by her caretakers and faced terrible treatment. [11] This seemingly swift change in her circumstances, reinforced by what Fitzgerald biographer Stuart Nicholson describes as rumors of "ill treatment" by her stepfather, leaves him to speculate that Da Silva might have abused her. A performance at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London was filmed and shown on the BBC. She later described the period as strategically crucial, saying, "I had gotten to the point where I was only singing be-bop. In 1938, at the age of 21, Ella recorded a playful version of the nursery rhyme, A-Tisket, A-Tasket. The album sold 1 million copies, hit number one, and stayed on the pop charts for 17 weeks. She obliged and sang the flip side of the Boswell Sisters record, The Object of My Affections.. Ella Fitzgerald: A Biography of the First Lady of Jazz, Updated Edition. [9] A few hours after her death, the Playboy Jazz Festival was launched at the Hollywood Bowl. It featured artists such as Michael Bubl, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Diana Krall, k.d. [3] Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 - June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". Her manager, Norman Granz, was adamant about protecting his colleagues from discrimination, but it did not stop it from happening. During this time, she married Benny Kornegay, a local dockworker, but annulled the marriage two years later. NPR. He offered Fitzgerald the chance to test with the band during their performance at Yale University. Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 - June 15, 1996) was an American jazz vocalist with a vocal range spanning three octaves (D3 to D6). "[43] Amid The New York Times pan of the film when it opened in August 1955, the reviewer wrote, "About five minutes (out of ninety-five) suggest the picture this might have been. In 1980, she performed a medley of standards in a duet with Karen Carpenter on the Carpenters' television special Music, Music, Music. Impressed with her natural talent, he began introducing Ella to people who could help launch her career. The two appeared on the same stage only periodically over the years, in television specials in 1958 and 1959, and again on 1967's A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim, a show that also featured Antnio Carlos Jobim. She was the daughter of William Fitzgerald and Temperance Henry but had Frances Da Silva as a half-sister through her stepdad, Joseph Da Silva. She won first place in the competition, but the theater did not award her the full prize. Jessica Bissett Perea. While singing with Gillespie, Fitzgerald recalled: "I just tried to do [with my voice] what I heard the horns in the band doing. And she didnt know it.. Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia, the child of a common-law marriage between William and Temperance "Tempie" Fitzgerald. When asked, Norman Granz would cite "complex contractual reasons" for the fact that the two artists never recorded together. [80] Across town at the University of Southern California, she received the USC "Magnum Opus" Award, which hangs in the office of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation. Together, Tempie and Ella went to Yonkers, N.Y, where they eventually moved in with Tempies longtime boyfriend Joseph Da Silva. [70][73], In 1993, Fitzgerald established the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation focusing on charitable grants for four major categories: academic opportunities for children, music education, basic care needs for the less fortunate, medical research revolving around diabetes, heart disease, and vision impairment. With Verve she recorded some of her more widely noted works, particularly her interpretations of the Great American Songbook. While on tour, Fitzgerald fell in love with bassist, Ray Brown; the two eventually married, adopted a son, and named him Ray Jr. She worked as a lookout at a bordello and with a Mafia-affiliated numbers runner. [89], In 2019, Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things, a documentary by Leslie Woodhead, was released in the UK. Worth To Know She died of stroke in 1996. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Fitzgerald and Browns busy schedules took a toll on their relationship with their son and their marriage. When Fitzgeralds mother died from serious injuries due to a car accident in 1932, Fitzgeralds life changed dramatically. Despite her declining health, she continued performing, sometimes two shows a day in different cities. The house was sold in 1963, and Fitzgerald permanently returned to the United States.[42]. It featured rare footage, radio broadcasts and interviews with Jamie Cullum, Andre Previn, Johnny Mathis, and other musicians, plus a long interview with Fitzgerald's son, Ray Brown Jr.[56]. Fitzgerald had a number of famous jazz musicians and soloists as sidemen over her long career. Harlem Renaissance. [9], In July 1957, Reuters reported that Fitzgerald had secretly married Thor Einar Larsen, a young Norwegian, in Oslo. [87][88], On April 25, 2017, the centenary of her birth, UK's BBC Radio 2 broadcast three programmes as part of an "Ella at 100" celebration: Ella Fitzgerald Night, introduced by Jamie Cullum; Remembering Ella; introduced by Leo Green; and Ella Fitzgerald the First Lady of Song, introduced by Petula Clark. The surprise success of the 1972 album Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72 led Granz to found Pablo Records, his first record label since the sale of Verve. [63] Her eyesight was affected as well.[9]. In November 1934, seventeen-year-old Fitzgerald debuted in her first Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater. Frances, Ella’s half-sister, was born in 1923, and she immediately began to refer to Joe as her stepfather. Although the tour was a big hit with audiences and set a new box office record for Australia, it was marred by an incident of racial discrimination that caused Fitzgerald to miss the first two concerts in Sydney, and Gordon had to arrange two later free concerts to compensate ticket holders. You Have to Swing It was one of the first times she began experimenting with scat singing, and her improvisation and vocalization thrilled fans. Nationality Education Ella Fitzgerald attended Benjamin Franklin Junior High School. Initially living in a single room, her mother and Da Silva soon found jobs and Ella's half-sister, Frances Da Silva, was born in 1923. Initially living in a single room, her mother and Da Silva soon found jobs and Ella's half-sister, Frances Da Silva, was born in 1923. . She was self-conscious about her appearance, and for a while even doubted the extent of her abilities. If Christopher williams was born in 1967, this means his mother had him when she was 44. interesting. Bonnie Greer dramatized the incident as the musical drama, Marilyn and Ella, in 2008. Fitzgeralds grades declined and she got into trouble with the law when she became affiliated with mafia related activities. [3] Her parents were unmarried but lived together in the East End section of Newport News[4] for at least two and a half years after she was born. Norman felt that I should do other things, so he produced Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book with me. It was the 26th time she performed there. Ella Fitzgerald . Her father, William, and mother, Temperance (Tempie), parted ways shortly afterward. Le couple part s'installer Yonkers dans le comt de Westchester, prs de New York o Ella grandit. In the mid-1940s, she began singing for Jazz at the Philharmonic, a concert series started by her manager, Norman Granz. Gleason, Holly. She received support from numerous celebrity fans, including a zealous Marilyn Monroe. Aside from music, Fitzgerald was a child welfare advocate and regularly made donations to help disadvantaged youth. After getting into trouble with the police, she was taken into custody and sent to a reform school. Ella was only fifteen years old. Living there was even more unbearable, as she suffered beatings at the hands of her caretakers. [15][16] She had intended to go on stage and dance, but she was intimidated by a local dance duo called the Edwards Sisters and opted to sing instead. Chicago- Angelucci, Ashley. Their little family will grow bigger in 1923 when her half-sister, Frances da Silva, who she stayed close to for all of her life, was born. Webb had hired a lead male singer for the band but he was still searching for a female singer. 95 (approx.) If the kids like her, Chick said, she stays.. Shortly after her birth, her father, William, and mother, Temperance (Tempie), . However, they stayed friends for the rest of their lives. Duke Ellington and his longtime collaborator Billy Strayhorn both appeared on exactly half the set's 38 tracks and wrote two new pieces of music for the album: "The E and D Blues" and a four-movement musical portrait of Fitzgerald. Together they adopted a child born to Fitzgerald's half-sister, Frances, whom they christened Ray Brown Jr. With Fitzgerald and Brown often busy touring and recording, the child was largely raised by his mother's aunt, Virginia. . The two divorced in 1952, but remained good friends for the rest of their lives. Photography by William P. Gottlieb. Her signature style included her iconic vocal range, clear tone and ability to improvise with her hallmark scat singing. Suddenly, Ella Fitzgerald was famous. Fitzgerald also had celebrity supporters, such a Marilyn Monroe, who personally called venues to make sure they booked her for performances. Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 June 15, 1996) also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist. After a tumultuous adolescence, Fitzgerald found stability in musical success with the Chick Webb Orchestra, performing across the country but most often associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 - June 15, 1996), known as the "First Lady of Song," "Queen of Jazz," and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz vocalist. A wreath of white flowers stood next to her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a marquee outside the Hollywood Bowl theater read, "Ella, we will miss you." After staying with Joe for a short time, Tempies sister Virginia took Ella home. Frances Da Silva Ella Fitzgerald Marriage, Affairs and Children SPOUSE Benny Kornegay (1941-1943) SPOUSE Ray Brown (1947-1953) Fame & Address DEBUT Souvenir Album (1949) FAMOUS FROM/AS Ella and Louis (1956) www.facebook.com/EllaFitzgerald Official Website www.ellafitzgerald.com Education, Net Worth & More SCHOOLING FROM Fitzgerald's half-sister, Frances Da Silva, was born in 1923. "Ella, elle l'a", a tribute to Fitzgerald written by Michel Berger and performed by French singer France Gall, was a hit in Europe in 1987 and 1988. While Fitzgerald appeared in films and as a guest on popular television shows in the second half of the twentieth century, her musical collaborations with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and The Ink Spots were some of her most notable acts outside her solo career. "[12] Frank Sinatra, out of respect for Fitzgerald, prohibited Capitol Records from re-releasing his own recordings in separate albums for individual composers in the same way. By 1925, Fitzgerald and her family had moved to nearby School Street, a poor Italian area.