Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917 in Virginia, but was raised in Yonkers by her mother, Temperance, and her mother's boyfriend. When "Tempie" died in 1932, Ella's suffered problems at home and eventually wound up living on the streets in the fall of 1934. Her first sign of hope came that November, when she competed at the Apollo and won first prize. Though it took some time because of her dirty, unkempt appearance, this win led her to work with Chick Webb's big band at the Savoy. Chick slowly groomed Ella for success, she began to experiment with scat singing, and by January, 1937 she was voted Downbeat's best female vocalist. Ella also began to write music, and by 1943 she became the youngest member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
Ella scored her first hit in 1938 with 'A Tiskit, A Tasket.' The song, written by Ella, sold over 1 million copies, stayed on the pop charts for 17 weeks, and was ranked #1 on the U.S. Hit Parade. Later that year she recorded her second hit, 'I Found My Yellow Basket." A third hit, 'Undecided,' followed in 1939. Sadly, tragedy struck when Chick succumbed to tuberculosis that June. The band continued with Ella as leader.
In 1940 Ella and the band toured, covering 18,000 miles and 36 states. Ella was immensely popular; she won Downbeat's award for the fourth consecutive year, was mobbed by fans in New Orleans, and was given the nickname "the first lady of song."
Sadly, fans are fickle. Ella's recording company, Decca, controlled much of her output, and their influences were not always well received by her fans. With the beginning of World War II, all bands became smaller. By the following August, the Chick Webb band was defunct.
After a brief lackluster period Ella returned to success, scoring million-copy hits in 1944 and 1945 with the Ink Blots. It was about this time when Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie introduced the world to bop. Ella came to work with Dizzy, wholeheartedly embracing be-bop as she had swing in her earlier years. She also began to employ more scat singing, which became her signature technique.
While with Dizzy, Ella fell for Ray Brown, Dizzy's bassist. Ray moved on to work with Norman Granz, who produced Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) in Los Angeles. Granz offered Ella a contract, and Ray and Ella married shortly after. Ray and Ella adopted a child, Ray Jr., who was cared for by an Aunt when they were on the road.
In addition to performing with JATP in multi-country tours of Europe, Ella and Ray became members of famed pianist Oscar Peterson's trio. By 1953, Ella's marriage with Ray dissolved; regardless, they remained friends and continued to work together.
In 1954, Granz became Ella's manager. Until this time, Ella had been earning the paltry wages that black musicians typically earned, but Granz, a staunch advocate of equal rights, paid Ella fairly. In 1956, Granz persuaded Decca to release Ella from her contract. Ella Fitzgerald recorded many successful pop albums on Granz' Verve label from 1956 to 1964, including the immensely popular 11-edition songbook series in which she sang the music of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins, and Irving Berlin, among others.
Ella set out on an unprecedented number of national and international tours. She also appeared on TV variety shows, with hosts including Bing Crosby, Dina Shore, Frank Sinatra, Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, and Dean Martin. In 1958 she won her first two Grammys.
In 1959, with America's waning interest in jazz, Granz sold Verve to MGM. MGM brushed off Verve's jazz musicians with the exception of Ella, who continued to record and tour. However, five years later MGM did not renew her contract. Ella's subsequent producers at Capitol and Reprise records encouraged changes, including religious, country, and contemporary hits, but these forms proved not to be her forte.
As the years passed, rock music took over, and the last tour of JATP took place in 1967. However, in 1972 Granz returned to America to promote a concert with Ella. Granz became reinvigorated and began a new recording label, Pablo. Ella returned strictly to jazz and recorded 23 albums on this label.
Ella was a worldwide superstar, and her popularity never again waned. She toured everywhere, sometimes performing two shows in a day that were hundreds of miles apart. In 1985, Ella was still touring forty weeks out of the year. Her three-octave voice, impeccable intonation and dazzling flexibility had hardly changed.
In 1986 Ella had a heart attack and underwent coronary bypass surgery, but it didn't keep Ella from returning to the stage. She made her last recording in 1989, and performed her final concert in Carnegie hall in 1991. By 1994, Ella was in full retirement. Ella passed away in June, 1996.
By the time Ella's career ended, she had recorded over 200 albums and 2,000 songs, and her record sales exceeded 40 million. Among her many awards and honors, Ella won 13 Grammys, received Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The mile-long list of musicians she has influenced includes such household names as Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Al Jarreau, Diana Ross, Dinah Washington, Tony Bennett, Janis Ian, Michael Buble, and Rosemary Clooney.
Andre Previn, director of the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, said of Ella, "She is unique and unimitable, simply the best, and transcends any of the so-called barriers that supposedly exist between the various and disparate kinds of music." Ultimately, that's a well-rounded way of stating that Ella truly is the First Lady of Song. Given all that Ella accomplished, it is hard to imagine her title ever being handed down to another.
Barbara Gracewood lives outside of Washington, DC in a quaint equestrian town in Northern Virginia. Her creativity and panache are strongly influenced by her pristine country surrounding as well as her frequent travels to celebrated cities in Europe and Great Britain. Music, art, high fashion, and dance are her passions.
As a noted vocalist Barbara Gracewood possesses an incredibly versatile voice; in her debut CD she adds her own sense of phrasing and interpretation to songs by artists such as Norah Jones, Hank Williams, Natalie Imbruglia, David Gates, and Alison Krauss. Her fans gravitate towards her ability to articulate emotion that captures equal parts 1940s songbird nostalgia along with modern day sensual vocal jazz.
"I am a huge fan of all music, especially the classic singers and song-writers. I enjoy researching the artist I so admire. I feel as if I must know them better before I can really sing their songs with conviction." Thank You, Barbara Gracewood.
