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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 201-225 of 349 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 74622 11/10/1948 In my dreams Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 74686 1/14/1949 I couldn't stay away Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 74687 1/14/1949 Old Mother Hubbard Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 74688 1/14/1949 Someone like you Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 74862 4/24/1949 Happy talk-1 Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 74863 4/24/1949 I'm gonna wash that man right outa my head-1 Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 74864 4/24/1949 Black coffee Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 74865 4/24/1949 Lover's gold Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 74866 4/28/1949 Baby, it's cold outside Ella Fitzgerald ; Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five vocalist  
Decca 74867 4/28/1949 Don't cry, cry baby Ella Fitzgerald ; Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five vocalist  
Decca 75279 9/20/1949 In the evening (when the sun goes down) Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75280 9/20/1949 Talk fast, my heart, talk fast Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75281 9/20/1949 I'm waitin' for the junkman Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75282 9/20/1949 Basin Street blues Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75287 9/21/1949 I hadn't anyone till you Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75288 9/21/1949 Dream a little longer Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75289 9/21/1949 Foolish tears Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75290 9/21/1949 A man wrote a song Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75292 8/3/1949 Suffer Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75801 2/2/1950 Baby, won't you say you love me? Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75802 2/2/1950 Don'cha go 'way mad Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75936 3/6/1950 Solid as a rock Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75937 3/6/1950 I've got the world on a string Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75938 3/6/1950 Sugarfoot rag Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
Decca 75939 3/6/1950 Peas and rice Ella Fitzgerald vocalist  
(Results 201-225 of 349 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fitzgerald, Ella," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104118.

Fitzgerald, Ella. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104118.

"Fitzgerald, Ella." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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