Ella Fitzgerald was the queen of Jazz and song vocalist who won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her career spanned some six decades, and she is often referred to as “First Lady of Song.” Ella had a troubled childhood that began with her parents separating shortly after her birth. Initially, she wanted to become a dancer, but her first singing debut at Harlem’s Apollo Theater changed her passion. She sang the Hoagy Carmichael tune “Judy” and “The Object of My Affection” at the contents and won the first prize. After that, Fitzgerald joined Chick Web’s Orchestra and performed across the county. She recorded her first song, “Love and Kisses,” with the Webb in 1935. And in 1938, she released her first superhit “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” which made her and Webb national star. Later that year, Fitzgerald recorded her second hit, “I Found My Yellow Basket.” Following Webb’s death in 1939, Fitzgerald became the leader of the band, but she left the band in 1942 and started her solo journey.
In the early 1940s, she recorded some song with Decca Records, and later she rose to fame when jazz impresario Norman Granz (founder of Verve Records) became her manager. During much of her early career, she had been noted for singing Novelty song, and later she incorporated scat singing. Around this time, Fitzgerald went on tour with Dizzy Gillespie and his band. In the 1950s and 1960s, she recorded multi-volume “songbooks” and superhit albums. In 1958, she became the first African-American woman to win a Grammy award. The journey continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s; she toured across the globe. Ella Fitzgerald was also Marilyn Monroe‘s favorite singer. They became friend and Monroe used her status as a Hollywood star to boost Fitzgerald’s career.
In 1941 Fitzgerald married a convicted drug dealer and hustler, Ben Kornegay. The wedding was annulled in 1942. She later fell in love with Gillespie’s bass player Ray Brown and the couple married in 1947. They also adopted a child born to Fitzgerald’s sister. The couple divorced in 1953.
During the 1970s, Fitzgerald began to experience serious health problems, and she had heart surgery in 1986. She also had chronic diabetes, which left her blind, and both of her legs were amputated in 1994. Fitzgerald made her last recording in 1991 and her last public performances in 1993. On June 15, 1996, Ella Fitzgerald died at the age of 79 from a stroke.
#1 Ella Fitzgerald leans over to kiss an unidentified young boy, 1955
#2 Ella Fitzgerald dancing, 1948
#3 lla Fitzgerald, wearing her hair up in a large bun and leaning to the left
#4 Ella Fitzgerald accompanied by a pianist, 1947
#5 Ella Fitzgerald with Bill Bojangles and Robinson at CBS television variety show, “Toast of the Town”, 1948
#6 Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Brown at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1948
#7 Ella Fitzgerald singing behind mike at opening at Bop City, 1949
#8 Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald in a sequined dress, 1940s
#9 Ella Fitzgerald, during a performance
#10 Ella Fitzgerald, 1937
#11 Ella Fitzgerald sings while holding sheet music on stage with American bandleader, Asbury Park Casino, 1938
#12 Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb, 1938
#13 Ella Fitzgerald at the Make Believe Ballroom party, 1939
#14 Ella Fitzgerald Comforting Chick Webb’s Widow, 1939
#15 Ella Fitzgerald performing on stage, 1940
#16 Ella Fitzgerald, January 01, 1940
#17 Ella Fitzgerald performing in New York, 1941
#18 Ella Fitzgerald with Ray Brown and Dizzy Gillespie, 1940
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if it is: #11 Ella Fitzgerald performing in New York, 1941, this is the same evening. but the true sept 1947. quite an inattentive article.
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In addition #18 reversed compared to the original.
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#19 Ella Fitzgerald performs on stage in 1940 in the United States
#20 A young Ella Fitzgerald singing in the 1940s
#21 Ella Fitzgerald performing on stage at the Savoy Ballroom in 1940
#22 Jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald singing on stage in the 1940s
#23 Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald poses for a portrait circa 1945 in New York City
#24 Ella Fitzgerald performing with Cootie Williams, 1945
#25 Ella Fitzgerald showing her Vinyl records, 1945
#26 Ella Fitzgerald during a broadcast from Cafe Zanzibar in New York, 1946
#27 Ella Fitzgerald holding a basket of flowers as she sings A Tisket, a Tasket in front of backdrop, 1946
#28 Ella Fitzgerald wielding a saucepan while standing in a cemetery singing Stone Cold Dead in the Market, as a promo for one of the hit songs of the day
#29 Ella Fitzgerald arrive in Britain onboard the Queen Mary.
#30 Ella Fitzgerald with NY Congressman Adam Clayton Powell and Hazel Scott, 1949
#31 Ella Fitzgerald, at Bop City on opening night, 1949
#32 Ella Fitzgerald mingling with people during opening night of Bop City nightclub in New York City, New York, April 1949
#33 Ella Fitzgerald singing and wearing a dark evening dress, 1950s
#34 Ella Fitzgerald, 1950
#35 Ella Fitzgerald in 1950, United States
#36 Ella Fitzgerald with Brown, 1951
#37 Ella Fitzgerald live at Jazz at the Philharmonic, Shrine Auditorium, 1951
#38 Ella Fitzgerald peforming at the microphone with piano accompanist at Storyville, New York City, 1952
#39 Ella Fitzgerald singing on stage, 1951
#40 Ella Fitzgerald, 1954
#41 Ella Fitzgerald with Oscar Peterson, 1954
#42 Ella Fitzgerald signing autographs on the occasion of her gig at the concert series Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vienna, 1954
#43 Ella Fitzgerald arrives at Mascot Airport, Sydney, 1954
#44 Ella Fitzgerald with Marilyn Monroe at the Tiffany Club in Hollywood, 1954
#45 Ella Fitzgerald with Jack Webb discussing a script on the set of Webb’s film, ‘Pete Kelly’s Blues,’ in which Fitzgerald had a role, 1955
#46 Ella Fitzgerald with Frank Sinatra 1955
#47 Studio portrait of Ella Fitzgerald, 1955
#48 Ella Fitzgerald performs on stage, USA, 1955
#49 Ella Fitzgerald with Nat King during an episode of the live performance anthology series ‘Ford Star Jubilee,’ New York, December 17, 1955
#50 Ella Fitzgerald singing in hamburg, 1956
#51 Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington on the release of ‘Ella Sings The Duke Ellington Songbook’ which came out in 1957
#52 Ella Fitzgerald performs on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on March 24, 1957
#53 Ella Fitzgerald in a concert, 1957
#54 Ella Fitzgerald singing with Rossano Brazzi during her concert at Adriano Theatre. Rome, 31st May 1957
#55 Ella Fitzgerald at her Dressing Room Vanity 1957
#56 Ella Fitzgerald performing at Mr. Kelly’s nightclub, 1958
#57 Ella Fitzgerald with Norman Granz, 1958
#58 Ella Fitzgerald during a visit to London, 1958
#59 Ella Fitzgerald at the Frank Sinatra show 1958
#60 Ella Fitzgerald performing at the Frank Sinatra show, 1958
#61 Ella Fitzgerald appears onstage with pop singer Frank Sinatra in the background in circa 1959
#62 Ella Fitzgerald at the Frank Sinatra, 1959
#63 Ella Fitzgerald, 1960
#64 Ella Fitzgerald, 1961
#65 Ella Fitzgerald performing on stage, 1960
#66 Ella Fitgerald performing a duet on an episode of ‘The Garry Moore Show,’ New York, New York, March 25, 1960
#67 Ella Fitzgerald performing in “The Lively Ones”, 1962
#68 Ella Fitzgerald with Dinah Shore and Joan Shuterland at the Dinah Shore Chevy Show 1963
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It’s Dame Joan Sutherland, world famous Australian opera singer.
