Ella Fitzgerald Biography

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Early Life
Ella Fitzgerald was a famously known jazz singer, known for her scat singing and interpretation of the American popular song, was born on April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia. After the separation of her parents, Ella moved to New York with her mother, Temperance Williams Fitzgerald. The family was financially challenged and after Ella’s sister was born, Ella was forced to work as a messenger and as a lookout for a brothel. At school Ella learned all she could about music, while working towards her dream of becoming a dancer. After her mother suddenly died in 1932, she went to live with her aunt.
Sad and emotional Ella started to get into trouble by skipping school. Consequently, she was sent to a reform school and ended up
In 1935 she made her first recording of “Love and Kisses” with Webb and was playing at Harlem’s hottest club called the Savoy. All this attention and excitement inspired Ella to co-write “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” becoming her first No. 1 Hit in 1938. The creativity continued and a year later Ella recorded another big hit called “I Found My Yellow Basket”. Webb wasn’t the only one paying attention to the rising star, Benny Goodman invited her to perform and record with The Benny Goodman Orchestra. She even had her own combo called “Ella Fitzgerald and Her Savory Eight”, which then became “Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Orchestra” with Ella as the band leader, following the death of Webb. Meanwhile her personal life wasn’t as great as her professional career, in 1941 she married Ben Kornegay, a famous drug dealer and hustler. This toxic relationship didn’t last long and Ella set out to keep rising in the entertainment
In the 1950s Ella grew exponentially by recording many albums, the most popular being Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book 1956. Ella assured her presence in history by being the first African American woman to win not one but two Grammys for best individual jazz performer and best female vocal performance. She got to perform and record with immense artists in the music world like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday and Frank Sinatra. “Mack of the Knife” launched her into the top of the pop charts. Age didn’t stop her from performing and winning everyone’s appreciation through her personality and love for the music. Tommy Flanagan and other orchestras invited Ella to play with them in the

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