Ella Fitzgerald

Photo credit indulgy.com

Photo credit Carl Van Vechten Collection

Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia to William and Temperance Fitzgerald. Her parents divorced soon after and her mother married Joseph Da Silva. Ella's mother died while Ella was  a teenager, and Ella was taken away from home to save her from her abusive stepfather. She jumped from institution to institution, but eventually ran away to live on the streets. When she was seventeen years old, she performed for the first time. She had always wanted to be a dancer, and on the amateur night at Apollo Harlem Theatre, she made a split-second decision that would change her whole life - she sang Judy by the Boswell Sisters. She was soon picked up by the Chick Webb band, and her career took off with a bang. She sang swing, jazz ballads, and just about anything her managers threw at her, always adding a creative spin to the melody. She earned the titles "The First Lady of Song" and "The Queen of Jazz." One of her most  popular songs with a great deal of improvisation was How High the Moon. Because of weight issues, she had many health issues, which eventually took her life on June 15, 1996. She was an inspirational singer, and has greatly influenced the jazz industry. She has been a personal hero of mine in music.
Arias