Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Ella Fitzgerald


Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1918 but orphaned in early childhood. She was sent to an orphanage in Yonkers. She won an amateur contest sponsored by the Apollo Theatre in 1934, which led to an engagement with Chick Webb's band, which she took over following his death in 1939. She went solo in 1942. During the '40s she recorded successfully and appeared in films. Later, Fitzgerald severed her ties with Decca and joined Granz's new company, Verve. One of their first projects was a series of two-record "songbooks," dedicated to the nation's premier songwriters like Cole Porter, Rodgers And Hart, and George and Ira Gershwin. Nelson Riddle among others provided jazz-tinged arrangements, and these sets enabled Fitzgerald to “cross over” to a general audience. She also had smash albums singing with Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ellington, Marty Paich, and Riddle. Granz, Fitzgerald's manager since the late '40s, kept her very busy, issuing her records regularly and booking constant festival dates. She kept going into the '70s, expanding her repertoire. Fitzgerald had eye surgery in the early '70s, and since battled recurring vision problems and illnesses in the '80s. A recognized treasure, several retrospective sets were issued in 1993, in recognition of Fitzgerald's 75th birthday. She died on June 15, 1996 from complications with diabetes. She is best known as a jazz vocalist and for her “scat” singing.

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