Singer
April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996 • American Jazz
Fast Facts
- Born in Virginia, but moved to New York as a child.
- Loved to dance and sing as a young child, and tried to imitate the singing of the musicians on the records she heard.
- Sometimes called the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella.
- Well-known for her improvisational ability, especially her scat singing.
- Performed across the country with the Chick Webb Orchestra, but was most often associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem
- Ella Fitzgerald’s rendition of the nursery rhyme “A Tisket, A Tasket” helped her reach national fame.
- Appeared in movies and as a guest on popular television shows, and collaborated with many other musicians including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and The Ink Spots.
- Received fourteen Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Musician of the Month Project 