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Ella Fitzgerald

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". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.

After a tumultuous adolescence, Fitzgerald found stability in musical success with the Chick Webb Orchestra, performing across the country but most often associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" helped boost both her and Webb to national fame. After taking over the band when Webb died, Fitzgerald left it behind in 1942 to start her solo career. Her manager was Moe Gale, co-founder of the Savoy, until she turned the rest of her career over to Norman Granz, who founded Verve Records to produce new records by Fitzgerald. With Verve she recorded some of her more widely noted works, particularly her interpretations of the Great American Songbook.

While Fitzgerald appeared in films and as a guest on popular television shows in the second half of the twentieth century, her musical collaborations with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and The Ink Spots were some of her most notable acts outside her solo career. 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)". In 1993, after a career of nearly sixty years, she gave her last public performance. Three years later, she died at age 79 after years of declining health. Her accolades included 14 Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts, the NAACP's inaugural President's Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Birth and Death Data: Born April 25, 1917 (Newport News), Died June 15, 1996 (Beverly Hills)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1935 - 1957

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, songwriter, lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 349 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 61127 10-in. 6/2/1936 Devoting my time to you Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 61361 10-in. 10/29/1936 (If you can't sing it) You'll have to swing it Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 61362 10-in. 10/29/1936 Swinging on the reservation Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 61363 10-in. 10/29/1936 I got the Spring fever blues Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 61364 10-in. 10/29/1936 Vote for Mr. Rhythm Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 61419 10-in. 11/18/1936 My last affair Ella Fitzgerald and her Savoy Eight vocalist  
Decca 61420 10-in. 11/18/1936 Organ grinder's swing Ella Fitzgerald and her Savoy Eight vocalist  
Decca 61421 10-in. 11/19/1936 Shine Ella Fitzgerald and her Savoy Eight vocalist  
Decca 61422 10-in. 11/19/1936 Darktown Strutters' Ball Ella Fitzgerald and her Savoy Eight vocalist  
Decca 61520 10-in. 1/14/1937 There's frost on the moon-1 Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 61527 10-in. 1/14/1937 Take another guess Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 61528 10-in. 1/14/1937 Love marches on-1 Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 61529 10-in. 1/14/1937 Big boy blue Ella Fitzgerald ; Mills Brothers vocalist  
Decca 61576 10-in. 2/3/1937 Dedicated to you Ella Fitzgerald ; Mills Brothers vocalist  
Decca 62065 10-in. 3/24/1937 Wake up and live-2 Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 62067 10-in. 3/24/1937 You showed me the way Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 62068 10-in. 3/24/1937 Clap hands! Here comes Charley Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 62069 10-in. 3/24/1937 Cryin' mood Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 62072 10-in. 3/24/1937 Love is the thing, so they say Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 62073 10-in. 3/24/1937 That naughty waltz Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 62213 10-in. 5/24/1937 All or nothing at all Ella Fitzgerald and her Savoy Eight vocalist  
Decca 62214 10-in. 5/24/1937 If you ever should leave Ella Fitzgerald and her Savoy Eight vocalist  
Decca 62215 10-in. 5/24/1937 Everyone's wrong but me Ella Fitzgerald and her Savoy Eight vocalist  
Decca 62216 10-in. 5/24/1937 Deep in the heart of South Ella Fitzgerald and her Savoy Eight vocalist  
Decca 62725 10-in. 10/27/1937 Just a simple melody Chick Webb Orchestra vocalist  
(Results 26-50 of 349 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fitzgerald, Ella," accessed November 6, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104118.

Fitzgerald, Ella. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104118.

"Fitzgerald, Ella." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 6 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104118

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