Ella FitzgeraldThe Famous African-American Jazz singer!

By:Chantea Leota

Contributions of the Harlem Renaissance and History

• In the 1920s and 1930s, Harlem was

the largest Black urban community

in the country. As part of the Great

Migration, many African Americans

moved to Harlem sharing common

experiences that sparked a cultural

rebirth. Ella, like a lot of other

singers. Dancers, poets, and writers

were a contributing factor to the

culture rebirth.

Harlem Renaissance

(Birthdate and place, Childhood)

• For the first lady of Jazz Ella was born April 25, 1917

in Newport News, Virginia. • Her parents were William and Temperance

(Tempie); they divorced shortly after she was born.

• Ella moved in with her moms boyfriend to Yorkers, New York

• She had a sister named Frances born 1923

CHILDHOOD/FAMILY

• Her mother died in a car accident in the year of 1932• Her aunty Virginia took her and her sister in because her

dad also had died.• Age 16 she started to sing month of November and the

year of 1934• She appeared on “Amateur Night” at Apollo theater in

Harlem, New York• She had won a competition that night and was noticed

by a member of Chick Webb's band who persuaded Webb to hire Ella.

Major Accomplishments

• “The First Lady of Jazz” and “The First Lady of Swing,” a chance performance at the Apollo Theater’s famed Amateur Night in 1934 set Ella Fitzgerald’s career in motion.

• Over the next seven decades, she worked with some of the most important artists in the music industry including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra

• She recorded some records with Webb’s songs were "(If You Can't Sing It), You'll Have to Swing It," and "Love and Kisses," which was her first recording

• SHE WAS A HIT SHE WAS NUMBER 1 ON POP CHARTS FOR 17 WEEKS SHE WAS SUDDENLY FAMOUS

• ON JUNE 16, 1939, CHICK WEBB DIED, WHICH LEFT ELLA AS BANDLEADER. THE GROUP WAS RENAMED "ELLA FITZGERALD AND HER FAMOUS BAND

• WHILE ON TOUR WITH DIZZY GILLESPIE'S BAND IN 1946, ELLA FELL IN LOVE WITH BASSIST RAY BROWN. THE TWO WERE MARRIED AND EVENTUALLY ADOPTED A SON, WHOM THEY NAMED RAY, JR.

• ELLA ALSO BEGAN APPEARING ON TELEVISION VARIETY SHOWS. SHE QUICKLY BECAME A FAVORITE AND FREQUENT GUEST ON NUMEROUS PROGRAMS, INCLUDING "THE BING CROSBY SHOW," "THE DINAH SHORE SHOW," "THE FRANK SINATRA SHOW," "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW," "THE TONIGHT SHOW," "THE NAT KING COLE SHOW," "THE ANDY WILLAMS SHOW" AND "THE DEAN MARTIN SHOW."

• Unfortunately, busy work schedules also hurt Ray and Ella's marriage. The two divorced in 1952, but remained good friends for the rest of their lives

• Ella attended P.S.#18 on Park Hill Avenue and Benjamin Franklin Junior High School, formerly on Waverly Street, where she sang in the glee club

• Once, while in Dallas touring, a police squad irritated by Norman's principles barged backstage to hassle the performers. They came into Ella's dressing room, where band members Dizzy Gillespie and Illinois Jacquet were shooting dice, and arrested everyone.

• "They took us down," Ella later recalled, "and then when we got there, they had the nerve to ask for an autograph."

• Norman wasn't the only one willing to stand up for Ella. She received support from numerous celebrity fans, including a zealous Marilyn Monroe

• She told him - and it was true, due to Marilyn's superstar status - that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman - a little ahead of her times. And she didn't know it."

• Additionally, when Frances died, Ella felt she had the additional responsibilities of taking care of her sister's family.

• In 1987, United States President Ronald Reagan awarded Ella the National Medal of Arts. It was one of her most prized moments. France followed suit several years later, presenting her with their Commander of Arts and Letters award, while Yale, Dartmouth and several other universities bestowed Ella with honorary doctorates.

• Ella had gotten sick In September of 1986, Ella underwent bypass surgery. Doctors also replaced a valve in her heart and diagnosed her with diabetes, which they blamed for her failing eyesight. The press carried rumors that she would never be able to sing again, but Ella proved them wrong. Despite protests by family and friends, including Norman, Ella returned to the stage .

• By the 1990s, Ella had recorded over 200 albums. In 1991, she gave her final concert at New York's renowned Carnegie Hall. It was the 26th time she performed there.

End of Era

• As the effects from her diabetes worsened, 76-year-old Ella experienced severe circulatory problems and was forced to have both of her legs amputated below the knees. She never fully recovered from the surgery, and afterward, was rarely able to perform. During this time, Ella enjoyed sitting outside in her backyard, and spending time with Ray, Jr. and her granddaughter Alice.

• "I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds and hear Alice laugh," she said.

• On June 15, 1996, Ella Fitzgerald died in her Beverly Hills home. Hours later, signs of remembrance began to appear all over the world. A wreath of white flowers stood next to her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a marquee outside the Hollywood Bowl theater read, "Ella, we will miss you."

• After a private memorial service, traffic on the freeway was stopped to let her funeral procession pass through. She was laid to rest in the "Sanctuary of the Bells" section of the Sunset Mission Mausoleum at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, Calif.

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Mack the knife