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Ella Jane Fitzgerald
Newport News (Virginia), United States
Archival Overview
The 'First Lady of Song' celebrated for her flawless three-octave vocal range, perfect horn-like pitch, peerless scat virtuosity, and definitive eight-volume Great American Songbook recordings.
Biographical Record
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (1917–1996) survived homelessness on the streets of Harlem before winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in 1934 at age seventeen. Joining the Chick Webb Orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom, she scored a smash hit in 1938 with her swinging adaptation of 'A-Tisket, A-Tasket'.
Possessing a flawless three-octave vocal range, purity of tone, impeccable diction, and virtuosic scat improvisations that rivaled trumpet masters, Fitzgerald became the supreme female vocalist of the 20th century. Between 1956 and 1964, her legendary manager Norman Granz recorded her landmark eight-volume Great American Songbook series (Cole Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Duke Ellington), prompting Ira Gershwin to remark: 'I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella sing them.'
Key Life Milestones
Victory at Apollo Theater Amateur Night
Won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem at age seventeen, launching her legendary vocal career.
The Great American Songbook Series on Verve
Recorded the definitive eight-volume Songbook series, defining the golden canon of 20th-century American music.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialBeverly Hills (California), United States