Fitzgerald, Ella

Biographical Note

• 1917 April 25: Born Ella Jane Fitzgerald in Newport News, Va., to William and Temperance (Tempie) Fitzgerald
• 1932: Mother dies from injuries sustained in a car crash
• 1934 Nov.: Wins an amateur contest sponsored by the Apollo Theatre, New York
• 1935: Wins an opportunity to perform for one week at the Harlem Opera House
• 1935 March: Begins performing with the Chick Webb Band
• 1935 - 1939 : Records with Chick Webb and his orchestra
• 1935 - 1955 : Under contract to the Decca label; records total of 612 recordings
• 1936: First recording, Love and Kisses released on the Decca label
• 1937: Top female vocalist, Down Beat magazine
• 1938: First number one song "A-tisket, A-tasket"
• 1939 June 16: Webb dies; Fitzgerald takes over direction of the band for the next three years
• 1939: Hit song "Undecided"
• 1939 - 1940 : Married to Benny Kornegay
• 1939 - 1941 : Records as Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Orchestra
• 1942: Appears in the film Ride ‘em, Cowboy
• 1946: Begins association with producer Norman Granz and his Jazz at the Philharmonic
• 1946 - 1952 : Married to Ray Brown; son Ray Brown, Jr., is born
• 1954: Best female vocalist, Metronome magazine and Down Beat magazine
• 1955: Appears in the film Pete Kelly’s Blues
• 1956: Joins Granz’s newly-founded Verve label; all star female, Metronome magazine
• 1956 - 1966 : Under contract to the Verve record label; records 1,191 titles
• 1958: At first Grammy Awards, wins best female vocal performance for The Irving Berlin Songbook and best individual jazz performance for The Duke Ellington Songbook; appears in the film St. Louis Blues
• 1959: Wins best female vocal performance Grammy for But Not for Me (single) and best individual jazz performance for Ella Swings Lightly (album)
• 1960: Wins best female vocal performance (single) Grammy for Mack the Knife and best female vocal performance (album) for Ella in Berlin; honorary membership to Alpha Kappa Alpha; appears in the film Let No Man Write My Epitaph
• 1962: Wins best female solo vocal performance Grammy for Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson Riddle
• 1965: Receives first ASCAP award in recognition of an artist
• 1966 - 1971 : This period is referred to as the "Concert Years;" Fitzgerald not under contract to any one recording company, but made 284 recordings on various labels
• 1967: Receives Grammy Award, Bing Crosby Lifetime Achievement Award; honorary chairmanship of the newly formed Martin Luther King Foundation
• 1972 - 1992 : Under contract to the Pablo label; recorded 266 titles
• 1976: Ella Fitzgerald Day in Los Angeles (April 1); receives Honorary Doctorate in Music from Dartmouth College; wins Grammy Award, best jazz vocal performance for Fitzgerald & Pass ... Again (album)
• 1979: Grammy Award, best jazz vocal performance for Fine and Mellow (album); receives Kennedy Center Honors Award
• 1980: Receives Honorary Doctor of Music from Howard University; wins Grammy, best female jazz vocal performance for A Perfect Match (album), recorded with Count Basie and instrumental ensemble
• 1981: Grammy Award, best female jazz vocal performance for Digital III at Montreaux (album)
• 1982: Hasty Pudding Club Woman of the Year
• 1983: Peabody Award for outstanding contributions to music in America; Grammy Award, best female jazz vocal performance for The Best is Yet to Come (album)
• 1986 September: Undergoes quintuple coronary bypass surgery
• 1987: Receives UCLA Medal for Musical Achievements and National Medal of Arts
• 1988: Receives NAACP Image Award for Lifetime Achievement
• 1990: Grammy Award, best female jazz vocal performance for All that Jazz (album) – her last recording and her twelfth Grammy; receives Commander of Arts and Letters (France) and Honorary Doctor of Music from Princeton University
• 1992 December: Final performance in Palm Beach, Fla.
• 1996 June 15: Fitzgerald dies in Beverly Hills, Calif.

From the guide to the Ella Fitzgerald Collection, 1956-1992, (bulk 1960-1985), (Music Division Library of Congress)

Biography

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born on Apr. 25, 1917 in Newport News, VA; grew up in Yonkers, NY, and in 1932 went to live with an aunt in Harlem; was virtually a homeless school dropout who danced and sang on street corners for money and was in state reform school for over a year; won an amateur talent contest at the Apollo theater; sang with Chick Webb Orchestra, 1934-39; became recording artist for Decca (1936-55) and Verve (which became Pablo Records); recorded nearly every year from 1939-89, while touring with jazz bands and more than 40 symphony orchestras; won 12 Grammy awards and countless other awards, including Commander of Arts and Letters, Paris (1990), the American Music award (1978), National Medal of the Arts (1987), and was honored by the Kennedy Center (1979); her numerous recordings include her series of eight "Songbook" albums made from 1956-64, featuring the music of Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, and Johny Mercer; she died on June 15, 1996 in Beverly Hills, CA.

From the guide to the Ella Fitzgerald Collection of photographs and music, 1920-1996, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Performing Arts Special Collections)

Jazz and popular singer Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Va., in 1918. For biographical information, see Who's Who in America (1996).

From the description of Papers, 1996, n.d. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 122566100

Ella Fitzgerald (b. April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia; d. June 15, 1996 in Beverly Hills, California), known as "The First Lady of Song," was a popular and highly-respected jazz and pop vocalist and recording artist. She performed in almost every medium, including recordings, films, the concert stage, and television. Known for her musicality, unerring pitch, and versatility, Fitzgerald recorded over 200 albums and won thirteen Grammy Awards during a career that lasted more than half a century. She worked with all of the jazz greats, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. She gave her final concert in 1991 at Carnegie Hall.

From the description of Ella Fitzgerald collection, 1956-1992 (bulk 1960-1985). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 431875058