In the process he and Ella became lifelong friends, often working together. Her half-sister, Frances da Silva, who she stayed close to for all of her life, was born in 1923. 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. When she studied in third grade, she developed an interest in dancing and idolized Earl Snakehips Tucker. Once on stage, faced with boos and murmurs of Whats she going to do? from the rowdy crowd, a scared and disheveled Ella made the last minute decision to sing. [69] The Jazz at the Philharmonic tour would specifically target segregated venues. Norman wasnt the only one willing to stand up for Ella. Ella Fitzgerald: A Biography of the First Lady of Jazz, Updated Edition. (1947) was similarly popular and increased her reputation as one of the leading jazz vocalists.[31]. In September of 1986, Ella underwent quintuple coronary bypass surgery. https://www.biography.com/musician/ella-fitzgerald. Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. Ella Fitzgerald, in full Ella Jane Fitzgerald, (born April 25, 1917, Newport News, Virginia, U.S.died June 15, 1996, Beverly Hills, California), American jazz singer who became world famous for the wide range and rare sweetness of her voice. 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. For Capitol she recorded Brighten the Corner, an album of hymns, Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas, an album of traditional Christmas carols, Misty Blue, a country and western-influenced album, and 30 by Ella, a series of six medleys that fulfilled her obligations for the label. She worked with all the jazz greats, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. She later described the period as strategically crucial, saying, "I had gotten to the point where I was only singing be-bop. Fitzgerald and Pass appeared together on the albums, Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington recorded two live albums and two studio albums. Accessed March 20, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ella-Fitzgerald. [8], Fitzgerald listened to jazz recordings by Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and The Boswell Sisters. While singing with Gillespie, Fitzgerald recalled: "I just tried to do [with my voice] what I heard the horns in the band doing. After a private memorial service, traffic on the freeway was stopped to let her funeral procession pass through. Her material at this time represented a departure from her typical jazz repertoire. Unable to adjust to the new circumstances, Ella became increasingly unhappy and entered into a difficult period of her life. [81] In 1990, she received an honorary doctorate of Music from Harvard University.[82]. Harlem Renaissance. Settling in Yonkers, they eventually moved in with Tempie's long-term boyfriend Joseph Da Silva. Here Ella sang for the first time, gently repeating gospels after the church choir. Her first career aspiration was to become a . Granz helped solidify her position as one of the leading live jazz performers. 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. When her diabetes forced her to have both of her legs amputated, she traded the stage for sitting in her backyard with her son and granddaughter, Alice. A few years after her birth, Fitzgeralds parents separated and her mother met her new partner, Joseph da Silva. When the band was touring in Dallas, Texas, the police barged into Fitzgeralds dressing room and arrested her, Dizzy Gillespie, and Illinois Jacquetbecause of Granzs civil rights advocacy. (Or rather, some might say all the jazz greats had the pleasure of working with Ella.). While recording the Song Books and the occasional studio album, Fitzgerald toured 40 to 45 weeks per year in the United States and internationally, under the tutelage of Norman Granz. Ella Fitzgerald, November 1946. Occupation Singer Family Father - William Fitzgerald Mother - Temperance "Tempie" (Williams) Others - Frances da Silva (Half-Sister) Manager Moe Gale and Norman Granz served as Ella Fitzgerald's managers. In mid 1936, Ella made her first recording. Her manager, Norman Granz, was adamant about protecting his colleagues from discrimination, but it did not stop it from happening. She performed at top venues all over the world, and packed them to the hilt. It is located southeast of the main entrance to the Amtrak/Metro-North Railroad station in front of the city's old trolley barn. Abigail Adams was an early advocate for women's rights. Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book, released in 1956, was the first of eight Song Book sets Fitzgerald would record for Verve at irregular intervals from 1956 to 1964. Although her intention was to dance, she decided to sing instead after seeing the dance competitors. "[18], From 1949 to 1956, Fitzgerald resided in St. Albans, New York, an enclave of prosperous African Americans where she counted among her neighbors Illinois Jacquet, Count Basie, Lena Horne, and other jazz luminaries. "Fitzgerald, Ella (1917-1996), singer" published on by Oxford University Press. Date Accessed. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. The two divorced in 1952, but remained good friends for the rest of their lives. Years later, when Joesph Da Silva had a heart attack, Aunt Virginia also took in Fitzgerald's sister, Frances. Fitzgerald was in and out of hospitals for respiratory illnesses or exhaustion. Her parents separated their common-law marriage early in Ella's life, and Ella and her mother moved to Yonkers, near New York City with Fitzgerald's mother's new partner, a Portuguese immigrant named Joseph da Silva. $510 - $530. Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia, the child of a common-law marriage between William and Temperance "Tempie" Fitzgerald. In 1942, with increasing dissent and money concerns in Fitzgerald's band, Ella and Her Famous Orchestra, she started to work as lead singer with The Three Keys, and in July her band played their last concert at Earl Theatre in Philadelphia. Her father, William, and mother, Temperance (Tempie), parted ways shortly afterward. 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 that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. Born in Newport News, Va., in 1917, Fitzgerald came north with her mother, Temperance "Tempie" Fitzgerald, and stepfather, Joseph da Silva, when she was 2, at the start of the Great Migration. They were rich and poor, made up of all races, all religions and all nationalities. They came into Ellas dressing room, where band members Dizzy Gillespie and Illinois Jacquet were shooting dice, and arrested everyone. She received support from numerous celebrity fans, including a zealous Marilyn Monroe. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. Ella's half-sister, Frances Da Silva, was born in 1923 3 Life in Yonkers In her youth Fitzgerald wanted to be a dancer, although she loved listening to jazz recordings by Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and The Boswell Sisters. Fitzgerald became an international star. The two were married and eventually adopted a son, whom they named Ray, Jr. At the time, Ray was working for producer and manager Norman Granz on the Jazz at the Philharmonic tour. Shortly afterward Joe suffered a heart attack and died, and her little sister Frances joined them. Yes she has a half-sister name Frances Da Silva. After financial struggles for Fitzgerald and her band, she began working as lead singer for The Three Keys at Decca Records. 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. Photography by William P. Gottlieb. Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia to mother, Temperance (Tempie) Henry and father, William Fitzgerald. He traveled to events commemorating what would have been her 90th birthday. By 1925, Fitzgerald and her family had . Fitzgerald was a great student. Her signature style included her iconic vocal range, clear tone and ability to improvise with her hallmark scat singing. Ella Fitzgerald turned to singing after a troubled childhood and debuted at the Apollo Theater in 1934. [58], Fitzgerald suffered from diabetes for several years of her later life, which had led to numerous complications. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" helped boost both her and Webb to national fame. Explore genealogy for Ella Fitzgerald born 1917 Warwick, Virginia, United States died 1996 Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States including ancestors + 2 photos + 2 genealogist comments + questions + more in the free family tree community. [78], Fitzgerald won 13 Grammy Awards,[79] and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1967. Norman saw that Ella had what it took to be an international star, and he convinced Ella to sign with him. 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. [63] Her eyesight was affected as well.[9]. She worked as a lookout at a bordello and with a Mafia-affiliated numbers runner. After her heart surgery and a diabetes diagnosis in 1986, Fitzgerald exceeded expectations by continuing to perform. On the touring circuit it was well-known that Ellas manager felt very strongly about civil rights and required equal treatment for his musicians, regardless of their color. [50], She made numerous guest appearances on television shows, singing on The Frank Sinatra Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Andy Williams Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, and alongside other greats Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Mel Torm, and many others. [11], Fitzgerald began skipping school, and her grades suffered. Ella's half-sister Frances was born in 1923. Struggling financially, the young Fitzgerald helped her family out by working as a messenger "running numbers" and acting as a lookout for a brothel. 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]. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing and intonation, and a hornlike improvisational ability, particularly in he. The real tragedy began in 1932 when her mother died in a car accident. Fitzgerald made her first tour of Australia in July 1954 for the Australian-based American promoter Lee Gordon. When da Silva died of a heart attack a short time later, Frances moved in too. Ella quickly quieted the audience, and by the songs end they were demanding an encore. [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. Bonnie Greer dramatized the incident as the musical drama, Marilyn and Ella, in 2008. When asked, Norman Granz would cite "complex contractual reasons" for the fact that the two artists never recorded together. The Joy Of Ella Fitzgerald's Accessible Elegance. By 1925, Fitzgerald and her family had moved to nearby School Street, then a predominantly poor Italian area. Love and Kisses was released under the Decca label, with moderate success. I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds and hear Alice laugh, she said. Perhaps nave to the circumstances, Ella worked as a runner for local gamblers, picking up their bets and dropping off money. Never one to complain, Ella later reflected on her most difficult years with an appreciation for how they helped her to mature. The press carried rumors that she would never be able to sing again, but Ella proved them wrong. 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. Tempie supported him by catering and working at a laundromat. Her manager was Moe Gale, co-founder of the Savoy,[1] until she turned the rest of her career over to Norman Granz, who founded Verve Records to produce new records by Fitzgerald. [35], Fitzgerald was still performing at Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) concerts by 1955. She credited the book for helping her to break through with non-jazz audiences. Fueled by enthusiastic supporters, Ella began entering and winning every talent show she could find. Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25, 1918. Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917 in Newport News, Virginia, United States to William and Temperance "Tempie" Fitzgerald. Her accompanist Tommy Flanagan affectionately remembered Fitzgerald on his album Lady be Good For Ella (1994). 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. [79], Other major awards and honors she received during her career were the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Medal of Honor Award, National Medal of Art, first Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award (named "Ella" in her honor), Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement, UCLA Spring Sing, and the UCLA Medal (1987). [19], In January 1935, Fitzgerald won the chance to perform for a week with the Tiny Bradshaw band at the Harlem Opera House. Bridgewater's following album, Live at Yoshi's, was recorded live on April 25, 1998, what would have been Fitzgerald's 81st birthday. Her, This page was last edited on 26 April 2023, at 20:02. [68] In 1949, Norman Granz recruited Fitzgerald for the Jazz at the Philharmonic tour. The pair separated soon after her birth and she and her mother moved to Yonkers, New York, with Tempie's boyfriend, Joseph Da Silva. Despite the tough crowd, Ella was a major success, and Chick hired her to travel with the band for $12.50 a week. 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. The two women remained close for the rest of Fitzgerald's life. Though the relationship ended after a year, Fitzgerald regularly returned to Denmark over the next three years and even considered buying a jazz club there. Ella Fitzgerald was an African-American Jazz singer. 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. One in particular opened doors for her. Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia, the child of a common-law marriage between William and Temperance "Tempie" Fitzgerald. Sale. The family grew in 1923 with the arrival of Fitzgerald's half-sister Frances. If the kids like her, Chick said, she stays.. Fitzgerald and her family had moved to an impoverished Italian neighborhood near College Street by 1925.
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