One2Swing Biography: Ella Fitzgerald
As part of the One2Swing Daily, I wanted to pay tribute to a lot of the artists and musicians that provide the music that we enjoy and dance too. These bios are drawn together from a wide variety of sources and condensed down to just a few pointers. Hope you enjoy them! -Ben

Ella Fitzgerald
(1917 - 1996)

     Dubbed "The First Lady Of Song", Ella overcame
a harsh youth (including both parents passing away before she reached age 16) to become arguably the most popular jazz singer of all time. After her parents passed away, Ella was placed in an orphanage and later in a State reformatory (which it was later revealed had wide-spread physical abuste). Ella escaped from the reformatory soon after and at age 16 she made her singing debut at the Harlem Apollo Theatre (at an amateur night interestingly enough). She had intended to dance but the nervous and awkward teenager lost her nerve when she finally got on stage. Ella later recalled that "The man said, 'do something while you're out there.'". So Ella sang "Object of My Affection" and "Judy" and ended up winning first prize. The same year Chick Webb discovered Ella which started her on her legendary career.



      Despite never having received formal voice training, Ella's crispness through her entire vocal range has been unrivaled. From her extremely wide vocal range to her scatting ability to her smooth voice, Ella's versatility and emotional talent helped her break many barriers for both women and blacks. She worked with all the jazz greats including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra. She performed all around the world and packed every house and has won countless awards including honorary doctorate degrees from Dartmouth and Yale, and thirteen Grammy Awards. Despite failing health due to diabetes, Ella continued to remain active on the stage until 1992. In 1992, both of her legs were amputated below the knee, again due to diabetes related problems. Complications with her diabetes eventually got the best of her as Ella passed away in 1996. Today, her singing continues to inspire dancers, singers, and fans alike.

One of our favorite songs is a duet she sang with Louis Armstrong: Let's Call The Whole Thing Off. Their voices physically have such contrast, and yet together they really achieve a fantastic balance. Take a listen!



Hope you enjoyed this mini-bio. I have many more to come!
-Ben