Accessed March 18, 2022. https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/ella-fitzgerald, Gleason, Holly. Ella in Rome and Twelve Nights in Hollywood display her vocal jazz canon. She worked with all the jazz greats, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. son: Ray Brown Jr. Granddaughter: Alice Brown . Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 - June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". April 21, 2022 / Posted By : / get last day of month javascript moment / Under : . [71] In 1954 on her way to one of her concerts in Australia she was unable to board the Pan American flight due to racial discrimination. Fitzgerald's most famous collaborations were with the vocal quartet Bill Kenny & the Ink Spots, trumpeter Louis Armstrong, the guitarist Joe Pass, and the bandleaders Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Mark, Geoffrey. Pianist Paul Smith has said, "Ella loved working with [Frank]. I knew I wanted to sing before people the rest of my life.. Ella spent most of her time with Ray Jr. and her granddaughter, Alice. Her accompanist Tommy Flanagan affectionately remembered Fitzgerald on his album Lady be Good For Ella (1994). "[43] When, later in her career, the Society of Singers named an award after her, Fitzgerald explained, "I don't want to say the wrong thing, which I always do but I think I do better when I sing. Ella Fitzgerald's life. Fitzgerald also had celebrity supporters, such a Marilyn Monroe, who personally called venues to make sure they booked her for performances. Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 - June 15, 1996) was an American jazz vocalist with a vocal range spanning three octaves (D 3 to D 6). Fitzgerald, Ella: Oh! [61] In March 1990, she appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, with the Count Basie Orchestra for the launch of Jazz FM, plus a gala dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel at which she performed. [69] The Jazz at the Philharmonic tour would specifically target segregated venues. "I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds and hear Alice laugh," she said. Platinum Collection - White Vinyl by Fitzgerald, Ella / Armstrong, Louis (Record, 2022) $38.97 New. Well never share your email with anyone else. Love and Kisses was released under the Decca label, with moderate success. Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. Although her voice impressed him, Chick had already hired male singer Charlie Linton for the band. It is located southeast of the main entrance to the Amtrak/Metro-North Railroad station in front of the city's old trolley barn. Her debut will be a duet with dad Ray Brown Jr. singing Ella's first hit, "Tisket-A-Tasket". Ella Fitzgerald's best songs sometimes weren't "her" songs at all. Her manager was Moe Gale, co-founder of the Savoy,[1] until she turned the rest of her career over to Norman Granz, who founded Verve Records to produce new records by Fitzgerald. In 1955, Granz created Verve Records for Fitzgerald to expand her repertoire from bebop to other genres of music. It featured artists such as Michael Bubl, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Diana Krall, k.d. Despite her declining health, she continued performing, sometimes two shows a day in different cities. After her heart surgery and a diabetes diagnosis in 1986, Fitzgerald exceeded expectations by continuing to perform. [15][16] She had intended to go on stage and dance, but she was intimidated by a local dance duo called the Edwards Sisters and opted to sing instead. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. It fueled a career revival that extended her relevance and positioned her to pass the torch to a new generation. Taylor & Francis. She was self-conscious about her appearance, and for a while even doubted the extent of her abilities. 2017. NPR. Haylee, grand-daughter of Ella Fitzgerald, signed her first recording contract with SRI Jazz. ELLA: A Biography of the Legendary Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 - June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer often referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz and Lady Ella. We are saddened to announce the passing of Catherine (Cathy) Ruth Corning, 64, nee Thompson on November 29, 2022, at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. The portrait is on display ahead of the 100th anniversary of Fitzgerald's birth. She left Decca, and Granz, now her manager, created Verve Records around her. There are several live albums on Verve that are highly regarded by critics. On June 15, 1996, Fitzgerald passed away at her home. Ella in London recorded live in 1974 with pianist Tommy Flanagan, guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Keter Betts and drummer Bobby Durham, was considered by many to be some of her best work. Ella Fitzgerald, November 1946. 2014. Speaking of her only wants at this stage in her life, Fitzgerald said: "I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds and hear Alice laugh." Ella Fitzgerald passed away peacefully on June 15, 1996 in her Beverly Hills home. In 1932, Tempie died from serious injuries that she received in a car accident. They were the dancingest sisters around, Ella said, and she felt her act would not compare. Gleason, Holly. 1.) Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories and includes a local jazz events calendar. The composers and lyricists spotlighted on each set, taken together, represent the greatest part of the cultural canon known as the Great American Songbook. Her manager, Norman Granz, was adamant about protecting his colleagues from discrimination, but it did not stop it from happening. [13] When the authorities caught up with her, she was placed in the Colored Orphan Asylum in Riverdale in the Bronx. her sons name was ray jr. ella's sister Frances still did take care of ray jr. but he was in ella's custody . Photography by William P. Gottlieb. "I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds and hear Alice laugh," she reportedly said. 153 ratings22 reviews. The marriage was annulled in 1942. Age. On March 15, 1955, Ella Fitzgerald opened her initial engagement at the Mocambo nightclub in Hollywood,[36][37] after Marilyn Monroe lobbied the owner for the booking. In tribute, the marquee read: "Ella We Will Miss You. Thank you for registering! By 1960, Fitzgerald had become a global sensation. She is also honored in the song "First Lady" by Canadian artist Nikki Yanofsky. to the late Marjorie (Mossman) and Robert S. Thompson. Ella Fitzgerald had a son before she died nearly three decades ago and he ended up following in her musical footsteps. baseball font with tail generator. EllaFitzgerald ErikaWhite JazzHistory November20,2012 In the spring of 1917, a child would be brought in the world whose talents. The advent of bebop led to new developments in Fitzgerald's vocal style, influenced by her work with Dizzy Gillespie's big band. She told him and it was true, due to Marilyns superstar status that the press would go wild. These partnerships produced some of her best-known songs such as "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "Cheek to Cheek", "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall", and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". "I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds and hear Alice laugh," she reportedly said. Outside of the arts, Ella had a deep concern for child welfare. song's that she made. Her material at this time represented a departure from her typical jazz repertoire. . [38] The booking was instrumental in Fitzgerald's career. [46] Even though she had already worked in the movies (she sang two songs in the 1942 Abbott and Costello film Ride 'Em Cowboy),[47] she was "delighted" when Norman Granz negotiated the role for her, and, "at the time considered her role in the Warner Brothers movie the biggest thing ever to have happened to her. They took us down, Ella later recalled, and then when we got there, they had the nerve to ask for an autograph.. [43] Plagued by health problems, Fitzgerald made her last recording in 1991 and her last public performances in 1993. In 1938, at the age of 21, Ella recorded a playful version of the nursery rhyme, A-Tisket, A-Tasket. The album sold 1 million copies, hit number one, and stayed on the pop charts for 17 weeks. Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book was the only Song Book on which the composer she interpreted played with her. "Celebrating 100 Years of Song", It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing), (If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book, Learn how and when to remove this template message, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, List of awards received by Ella Fitzgerald, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Medal of Honor Award, African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County, "Ella Fitzgerald, the Voice of Jazz, Dies at 79", "Ward of the State; The Gap in Ella Fitzgerald's Life", "Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb: Jazz's Odd Couple", "Buck Ram; Platters Mentor Wrote String of 1950s Hits", National Archives and Records Administration, "Ella Fitzgerald Sues Airline for Discrimination (1970)", "Sir Johnny up there with the Count and the Duke", "Ella on Special 1980 Duet with Karen Carpenter", "Ella Fitzgerald For Kentucky Fried Chicken", "Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things | Jazz Journal", "Ella Fitzgerald Had Both Legs Amputated", "Ella Fitzgerald, Jazz's First Lady of Song, Dies", "Post Civil War: Freedmen and Civil Rights", "Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medals of Freedom | The American Presidency Project", "Calendar & Events: Spring Sing: Gershwin Award", "Half a Century of Song with the Great 'Ella', "Partial List of Harvard Honorary Degrees", "Rod Stewart: I Thought Christmas Album Was 'Beneath Me', "Google celebrates Ella Fitzgerald with doodle on 96th birthday", "Ella Fitzgerald celebrated in Google Doodle; 'The Queen of Jazz' Ella Fitzgearld is commemorated with a Google Doodle on what would have been her 96th birthday", "Ella at 100, Ella Fitzgerald The First Lady of Song", Discography of American Historical Recordings, Listen to Big Band Serenade podcast, episode 6, Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things (documentary), Miss Ella Fitzgerald & Mr Gordon Jenkins Invite You to Listen and Relax, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book, Ella Fitzgerald Sings Sweet Songs for Swingers, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book, Ella Fitzgerald Sings Songs from "Let No Man Write My Epitaph", Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book, Things Ain't What They Used to Be (And You Better Believe It), Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport, Newport Jazz Festival: Live at Carnegie Hall, The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve, Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Vol. she traded the stage for sitting in her backyard with her son and granddaughter, Alice. Fitzgerald then published her first of eight song books, Fitzgerald became an international star. He offered Fitzgerald the chance to test with the band during their performance at Yale University. Fitzgerald also recorded albums exclusively devoted to the songs of Porter and Gershwin in 1972 and 1983; the albums being, respectively, Ella Loves Cole and Nice Work If You Can Get It. She drew inspiration from Connee Boswell of The Boswell Sisters, one of her mothers favorite groups, and sang the song Judy by Hoagy Carmichael. I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds and hear Alice laugh, she said. It was one of her most prized moments. Upon learning that Kornegay had a criminal history, Ella realized that the relationship was a mistake and had the marriage annulled. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. [8], Fitzgerald listened to jazz recordings by Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and The Boswell Sisters. Ella Fitzgerald. In the mid-1940s, she began singing for Jazz at the Philharmonic, a concert series started by her manager, Norman Granz. Her debut will be a duet with dad Ray Brown Jr. singing Ella's first hit, Tisket-A-Tasket". Although "reluctant to sign herbecause she was gawky and unkempt, a 'diamond in the rough,'"[9] Webb offered her the opportunity to test with his band at a dance at Yale University. In September of 1986, Ella underwent quintuple coronary bypass surgery. Died. She received support from numerous celebrity fans, including a zealous Marilyn Monroe. 2022. In January 1935, Fitzgerald won the chance to perform with the Tiny Bradshaw Band at the Harlem Opera House where she met Chick Webb, the drummer and band leader. 1958-2022. She recorded several albums with piano accompaniment, but a guitar proved the perfect melodic foil for her. Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. It was released in the UK in 2019.[56]. Paganini)". Fitzgerald, underage in a discriminatory world, was powerless in the legal system. Ella Fitzgerald website. Folk singer Odetta's album To Ella (1998) is dedicated to Fitzgerald, but features no songs associated with her. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Ella Fitzgerald and could vary in the range between $954.3K - $1.8M. Here was a black woman popularizing urban songs often written by immigrant Jews to a national audience of predominantly white Christians. Fitzgerald spent two weeks performing in New York with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie in 1974 and was inducted into the Downbeat Magazine Hall of Fame in 1979. 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.. Fueled by enthusiastic supporters, Ella began entering and winning every talent show she could find. Accessed March 19, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2019/09/05/749021799/the-joy-of-ella-fitzgeralds-accessible-elegance. It was the 26th time she performed there. Sinatra gave her his dressing-room on A Man and His Music and couldn't do enough for her." He offered Ella the opportunity to test with his band when they played a dance at Yale University. [63] Her eyesight was affected as well.[9]. Click the link to confirm your email address.Please check your spam folder for the email, if it does not arrive, click this link Sign up to receive email updates and offers from. Ella Fitzgerald had one adopted son. A performance at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London was filmed and shown on the BBC. . Fitzgerald began singing and performing on the streets of Harlem in order to make ends meet. Her extensive cookbook collection was donated to the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University, and her extensive collection of published sheet music was donated to UCLA. Elan Mehler, John Coltrane, Chet Baker and more '40s Pop Vocals. [2] She was the daughter of William Fitzgerald and Temperance "Tempie" Henry, both described as "mulatto" in the 1920 census. (Or rather, some might say all the jazz greats had the pleasure of working with Ella.). Norman Granz, the impresario who made his name at the helm of Jazz at the Philharmonic, was hardly impressed when he first heard Ella Fitzgerald with the Ink Spots in his hometown of Los Angeles in the early '40s. Abigail Adams was an early advocate for women's rights. . [15] Later that year, she was introduced to drummer and bandleader Chick Webb by Benny Carter[20] or Buck Ram[21] who had heard from singer Charlie Linton that Webb wanted to add a female singer. Flying Home . For Capitol she recorded Brighten the Corner, an album of hymns, Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas, an album of traditional Christmas carols, Misty Blue, a country and western-influenced album, and 30 by Ella, a series of six medleys that fulfilled her obligations for the label. At 21 years old, she recorded hits that made her famous such as Love and Kisses, and A-Tisket, A-Tasket (1938), which remained on the pop charts for seventeen weeks. [32] This was the first of Gordon's famous "Big Show" promotions and the "package" tour also included Buddy Rich, Artie Shaw and comedian Jerry Colonna. During this time, Ella enjoyed sitting outside in her backyard, and spending time with Ray, Jr. and her granddaughter Alice. The world responded with memorials and gratitude for the revolutionary gifts she gave to the world. They divorced in 1952. [83] Fitzgerald is also referred to in the 1976 Stevie Wonder hit "Sir Duke" from his album Songs in the Key of Life, and the song "I Love Being Here With You", written by Peggy Lee and Bill Schluger. On her last day, she was wheeled . Perhaps nave to the circumstances, Ella worked as a runner for local gamblers, picking up their bets and dropping off money. (1947) was similarly popular and increased her reputation as one of the leading jazz vocalists.[31]. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 - June 15, 1996) was an American jazz vocalist with a vocal range spanning three octaves (D3 to D6). [70][73], In 1993, Fitzgerald established the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation focusing on charitable grants for four major categories: academic opportunities for children, music education, basic care needs for the less fortunate, medical research revolving around diabetes, heart disease, and vision impairment. Ella Fitzgerald became a major international star. Also known as. She was awarded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Equal Justice Award and the American Black Achievement Award. Biography.com Editors. "Ella, elle l'a", a tribute to Fitzgerald written by Michel Berger and performed by French singer France Gall, was a hit in Europe in 1987 and 1988. The life of the very private and media-shy Ella Fitzgerald has long been shrouded in a mixture of half-truths and fiction. [6], Starting in third grade, Fitzgerald loved dancing and admired Earl Snakehips Tucker. "[43] Amid The New York Times pan of the film when it opened in August 1955, the reviewer wrote, "About five minutes (out of ninety-five) suggest the picture this might have been. Haylee Granddaughter of Ella Fitzgerald signs first recording contract singing a duet of famous Fitzgerald song with dad Ray Brown Jr. on his upcoming all-star Friends and Family duets-style CD. Place of death. From 1956-1964, she recorded covers of other musicians albums, including those by Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, and Rodgers and Hart. What emerges in Stuart Nicholson's groundbreaking biography is a remarkable story of a poor black girl's determination to realize the American Dream in the face of racial and sexual prejudice. Though the relationship ended after a year, Fitzgerald regularly returned to Denmark over the next three years and even considered buying a jazz club there. Granddaughter of Ella Fitzgerald signs first recording contract singing a duet of famous Fitzgerald song with dad Ray Brown Jr. on his upcoming all-star "Friends & Family" duets-style CD. World-Renowned Smoke Jazz Club Announces Line-Up For April Jazz Appreciation Month, All About Jazz Top 10 Songs: February 2023. Ella quickly quieted the audience, and by the songs end they were demanding an encore. The exhibition, says John Edward Hasse, the museum's curator of American music and founder of Jazz Appreciation Month, tells the story of . with her son Ray and 12-year-old granddaughter, Alice. 2.) "[18], Her 1945 scat recording of "Flying Home" arranged by Vic Schoen would later be described by The New York Times as "one of the most influential vocal jazz records of the decade.Where other singers, most notably Louis Armstrong, had tried similar improvisation, no one before Miss Fitzgerald employed the technique with such dazzling inventiveness. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" helped boost both her and Webb to national fame. Liberation Hall Announces Bossa Nova And Charlie Parker Titles For Record Store Day, Saturday, April New England Conservatory Alums Win Grammy Awards. [9] In 1961 Fitzgerald bought a house in the Klampenborg district of Copenhagen, Denmark, after she began a relationship with a Danish man. Fitzgerald then published her first of eight song books, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (1956). Her debut will be a duet with dad Ray Brown Jr. singing Ella's first hit, "Tisket-A-Tasket". "She inspired me by showing me this . Fitzgerald was a great student. Ella Fitzgerald, known to jazz lovers throughout the world as the First Lady of Song, died Saturday at her Beverly Hills home. It was directed by Leslie Woodhead and produced by Reggie Nadelson. Her father, William, and mother, Temperance (Tempie), parted ways shortly after her birth. Fitzgerald had a number of famous jazz musicians and soloists as sidemen over her long career. She personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. . There, she was beaten by her caretakers and faced terrible treatment. United Kingdom. [51], Fitzgerald also appeared in TV commercials, her most memorable being an ad for Memorex. Granddaughter of Ella Fitzgerald signs first recording contract singing a duet of famous Fitzgerald song with dad Ray Brown Jr. on his upcoming all-star Friends and Family duets-style CD. In the band that night was saxophonist and arranger Benny Carter. Her song selections ranged from standards to rarities and represented an attempt by Fitzgerald to cross over into a non-jazz audience. On her last day, she was wheeled outside one . [5] She began her formal education at the age of six and was an outstanding student, moving through a variety of schools before attending Benjamin Franklin Junior High School in 1929. Ella had extraordinary vocal skills from the time she . Norman felt that I should do other things, so he produced Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book with me. Never one to complain, Ella later reflected on her most difficult years with an appreciation for how they helped her to mature. Hours later, signs of remembrance began to appear all over the world. In his absence the band was renamed Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Band, and she took on the overwhelming task of bandleader. [70], Bill Reed, author of Hot from Harlem: Twelve African American Entertainers, referred to Fitzgerald as the "Civil Rights Crusader", facing discrimination throughout her career. Her music consists of more than 10,000 pages of scores, leadsheets and individual musicians parts for more . At the Opera House shows a typical Jazz at the Philharmonic set from Fitzgerald. Best Answer. Soundtrack: Sphere. Possibly Fitzgerald's greatest unrealized collaboration (in terms of popular music) was a studio or live album with Frank Sinatra. She obliged and sang the flip side of the Boswell Sisters record, The Object of My Affections.. Ella Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald recorded some 20 albums for the label. [14] When the orphanage proved too crowded, she was moved to the New York Training School for Girls, a state reformatory school in Hudson, New York. Ella Fitzgerald 's revenue is $2M in 2015. Once, while in Dallas touring for the Philharmonic, a police squad irritated by Normans principles barged backstage to hassle the performers. She never fully recovered from the surgery, and afterward, was rarely able to perform. Off stage, and away from people she knew well, Ella was shy and reserved. REDUX 026: Miles Davis. With the demise of the swing era and the decline of the great touring big bands, a major change in jazz music occurred. The shows were a great success, and September 1975 saw them gross $1,000,000 in two weeks on Broadway, in a triumvirate with the Count Basie Orchestra. "I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds, and hear [my 12 year old granddaughter] Alice laugh," she reportedly said during her final years. I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them, Ira Gershwin once remarked. On June 16, 1939, Ella mourned the loss of her mentor Chick Webb. He ensured Fitzgerald was to receive equal pay and accommodations regardless of her sex and race. Ella, . On June 15, 1996, Ella Fitzgerald died in her Beverly Hills home. Ella Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer known as the 'First Lady of Song.' Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her. Ella Fitzgerald was one of America's greatest jazz singers. [30] Producer Norman Granz became her manager in the mid-1940s after she began singing for Jazz at the Philharmonic, a concert series begun by Granz. [53] The tape was played back and the recording also broke another glass, asking: "Is it live, or is it Memorex? The theater is located several blocks away from her birthplace on Marshall Avenue. The collection consists of Fitzgerald's entire music library and contains items such as photographs and videotapes. Trumpet player Mario Bauz, who played behind Fitzgerald in her early years with Chick Webb, remembered that "she didn't hang out much. She was an unusual woman a little ahead of her times. "[9] Her bebop recording of "Oh, Lady Be Good!" She performed at top venues all over the world, and packed them to the hilt. [3] Her parents were unmarried but lived together in the East End section of Newport News[4] for at least two and a half years after she was born. Ella Fitzgerald. National Endowment for the Arts. Biography.com Editors. Fitzgerald, a legendary Black jazz singer, was coming off a series of international concert tours and the success of her 1960 live album "Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife," which went on to sell . When asked, Norman Granz would cite "complex contractual reasons" for the fact that the two artists never recorded together. In the early 1920s, Fitzgerald's mother and her new partner, a Portuguese immigrant named Joseph da Silva,[3] moved to Yonkers, in Westchester County, New York. The series was wildly popular, both with Ellas fans and the artists she covered. Jessica Bissett Perea. Sports aside, she enjoyed dancing and singing with her friends, and some evenings they would take the train into Harlem and watch various acts at the Apollo Theater. In 1993, after a career of nearly sixty years, she gave her last public performance. [84], There is a bronze sculpture of Fitzgerald in Yonkers, the city in which she grew up, created by American artist Vinnie Bagwell. Ella Fitzgerald Biography. Biography.com Website. Ella Fitzgerald. Unfortunately, busy work schedules also hurt Ray and Ellas marriage. - Los Angeles, 1996. jnius 15.) Ella Fitzgerald was a singer praised for her clear, sweet voice. She later described the period as strategically crucial, saying, "I had gotten to the point where I was only singing be-bop.