The Life of Ella
AN OVERVIEW
Born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25, 1917
Parents William, Temperance (Tempie)
Half sister- Frances born 1923
Tempie’s boyfriend Joseph-digs ditches
Tempie-Laundromat
Ella lived in mixed neighborhood
As a child Ella- tomboy, loves base ball but also loves singing and dancing
Loves Boswell Sisters- wants to sound just like Connie Boswell
Tempie dies 1932- car accident
After death skips school, grades drop- reform school-escapes
Lives on the streets at age 15
Talent show, Apollo’s amateur night wants to dance girls before her dance- sings
Wins to sing at with Tiny Bradshaw- met Chick Webb doesn’t want to hire her because of her looks gives her a chance- start of her career
1936 first record “Love and Kisses”
Once famous started scatting-improvising new style
1938 “A tisket A tasket”-#1 on charts for 17 weeks 1 million copies sold
June 16, 1939- Chick Webb dies
Ella new band leader “Ella Fitzgerald and her Famous Band”
President Ronald Regan gives her National Medal of Arts
1986 quintuple bypass surgery- still sang
failing eyesight- still sang
By 1990’s over 200 albums
Circulatory problems- legs amputated
June 15, 1996- dies buried in Sanctuary of the Bells, CA
Throughout her entire life she was on shows like
The Bing Crosby Show
The Frank Sinatra Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Nat King Cole Show
The Tonight Show
· Ella is remembered today for her huge vocal range and jazzy improvisation styles.
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia. Her father, William and her mother Temperance, also known as Tempie, divorced shortly after Ella’s birth. Tempie brought Ella to Yonkers, New York where they met Joseph Da Silva. He became Tempie’s Boyfriend and soon after they had Frances, Ella’s half sister in 1923. Joe worked as a ditch digger and as a part time chauffer while Tempie found work in a Catering Business. Ella, wanting to help support her family worked small side jobs. Once she even dropped off the money after gambling games. In her diverse neighborhood Ella found many friends but thought of herself as a tomboy. Aside from playing baseball on the street she loved to dance, sing and take the train into the city to watch plays.
Unfortunately when Ella was only fifteen Tempie died in a car accident which left Ella to live with Joe. Later Ella’s sister Virginia got Ella to move in with her. Then later Joe died which forced Frances to move in with them. After Tempie’s death Ella had a hard time adjusting to her new life parentless. Her grades started to drop, she skipped school, and after getting in trouble with the police she was put in a reform school. Luckily Ella escaped at age fifteen but only to be left out on the streets during the depression.
Two years later in 1934 Ella was chosen to perform at the Apollo’s Amateur night. Ella planed to dance but after an amazing dance number she felt it would be best if she chose something else to do. As a last resort Ella chose to sing “Judy” by Hoagy Carmichael and she crowd loved it. That night the saxophonist Benny Carter approached Ella and after talking to her for a little while decided that he was going to make her a star. She sang at every talent show around and stole the show every time. On of her prizes was to sing with Tiny Bradshaw at the Harlem Oprah House. It was there where she met Chick Webb, a drummer and the bandleader. After singing at a school dance with him he chose her to be the lead singer of his band.
In 1936 Ella recorded her very first record titled as “Love and Kisses”. It was a success but it wasn’t until later when she sang “You Have to Swing it” when she became known for her scat singing. Her improvising impressed the audience. The people loved the new style. Then in 1938 when Ella turned twenty one she recorded “A Tisket a Tasket”. Suddenly Ella Fitzgerald was the top singer with the number one song on the charts which staid on the charts for seventeen weeks.
In June 16, 1939 Chick Webb died. After a long grieving period Ella took over as the new band leader of “Ella Fitzgerald and her Famous Band” Later she married Benny Kornegay but finding out about his criminal record she divorced him and moved on with her music. In 1946 she went on tour with Dizzy Gillespie’s band. While on tour she fell in love with Ray Brown. They got married and together had a son, Ray Jr. It was through Ray where she found her Manager Norman Grantz. Grantz brought Ella across the world. He was against discrimination and treated everyone of his clients the same whether they were black or white. He got her onto shows like “The Bing Crosby Show”, “The Frank Sinatra Show”, “The Nat King Cole show”, and “The Tonight Show”.
Soon Ella Fitzgerald was world wide. Sometimes she had two shows hundreds of miles apart in one day. Although she was very busy she really cared about child welfare and worked hard to be able to donate money to the cause. It motivated her to work hard and to have a cause to do it for.
Throughout her lifetime she had many awards including, The Commander of Arts and Letters Award from France, and Honorary Doctorates from many colleges including Dartmouth and Yale. But her most impressive prize is probably The National Medal of Arts which she accepted with much appreciation from Ronald Regan the president at that time.
In 1986 Ella went through quintuple bypass surgery as the surgeons found out that she had diabetes and connected it to her failing eyesight. Her last performance at Carnegie Hall was in 1991. It was her 26th time performing there. By 1990 she had made two hundred albums. Her circulatory problem worsened and led to her having to get her legs amputated. She died in 1996 on June 15 and was buried in the Sanctuary of Bells in Inglewood California. She is remembered today for her huge vocal range and jazzy improvisation styles.
