Ella Fitzgerald Biography

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer counted amongst the most influential jazz singers of all time. Popularly known as the ‘First Lady of Song’, she harbored the dream of becoming an entertainer from a young age and entered in an amateur contest at Harlem's Apollo Theater in 1934. She not only wowed the audience with her voice, but also won the first prize of $25. After she met drummer and bandleader Chick Webb, she started singing in his group. Her song ‘A-Tisket, A-Tasket’ became her first No. 1 hit in 1938, followed by her second hit, ‘I Found My Yellow Basket’, co-written by her. After Webb's death, Ella became the leader of the band, which she renamed as Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Orchestra. While her career took off in 1946, it reached its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, when she earned the title of the ‘First Lady of Song’ for her unparalleled popularity and vocal talents. Her ability to mimic instrumental sounds and her vocal improvisation of scatting became her signature techniques. She made history by winning a Grammy Award in 1958, the first won by any African-American woman. Over the course of her career, she recorded over 200 albums and more than 2,000 songs, and sold more than 40 million albums.