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 1-25 of 349 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-02463 | 10-in. | 11/5/1936 | Goodnight my love | Benny Goodman Orchestra ; Ella Fitzgerald | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-02464 | 10-in. | 11/5/1936 | Take another guess | Benny Goodman Orchestra ; Ella Fitzgerald | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-02465 | 10-in. | 11/5/1936 | Did you mean it? | Benny Goodman Orchestra ; Ella Fitzgerald | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | vocalist | |
Victor | BS-04568 | 10-in. | 2/4/1937 | You showed me the way | Wingy Manone Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-07745 | 10-in. | 4/9/1937 | You showed me the way | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-07746 | 10-in. | 4/9/1937 | You showed me the way | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | PBS-019420 | 10-in. | 7/9/1938 | A-tisket, a-tasket | Clambake Seven ; Tommy Dorsey ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-023768 | 10-in. | 7/1/1938 | A-tisket a-tasket | Scat Powell ; Willie Farmer Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-028195 | 10-in. | 11/3/1938 | I found my yellow basket | Shirley Brown ; Van Alexander Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and vocal ensemble | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-036925 | 10-in. | 5/9/1939 | Chew-chew-chew | Jeanne D'Arcy ; Johnny Messner ; Music Box Band | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-036962 | 10-in. | 5/18/1939 | Chew-chew-chew (Chew your bubble gum) | Don Redman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and vocal chorus | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-037124 | 10-in. | 5/17/1939 | Chew-chew-chew (Chew your bubble gum) | Smoothies | Mixed vocal trio, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
Brunswick | B20699 | 10-in. | 2/18/1937 | You showed me the way | Billie Holiday ; Teddy Wilson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Decca | 39614 | 10-in. | 6/12/1935 | I'll chase the blues away | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 39617 | 10-in. | 6/12/1935 | Love and kisses | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 60054 | 10-in. | 10/12/1935 | Rhythm and romance | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 60056 | 10-in. | 10/12/1935 | I'll chase the blues away | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 60058 | 10-in. | 10/12/1935 | Facts and figures | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 60999 | 10-in. | 4/7/1936 | Love, you're just a laugh | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 61000 | 10-in. | 4/7/1936 | Cryin' my heart out for you | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 61001 | 10-in. | 4/7/1936 | under the spell of the blues | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 61002 | 10-in. | 4/7/1936 | When I get low I get high | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 61124 | 10-in. | 6/2/1936 | Sing me a swing song (and let me dance) | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 61125 | 10-in. | 6/2/1936 | A little bit later on | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist | ||
Decca | 61126 | 10-in. | 6/2/1936 | Love, you're just a laugh | Chick Webb Orchestra | vocalist |
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
External Sources
Wikipedia: Ella Fitzgerald
Discogs: Ella Fitzgerald
Allmusic: Ella Fitzgerald
Apple Music: Ella Fitzgerald
Grove: Ella Fitzgerald
RILM: Ella Fitzgerald
IMDb: Ella Fitzgerald
Britannica: Ella Fitzgerald
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Fitzgerald, Ella - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83021406
Wikidata: Ella Fitzgerald - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1768
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/6148211
MusicBrainz: Ella Fitzgerald - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/54799c0e-eb45-4eea-996d-c4d71a63c499
Getty ULAN: Fitzgerald, Ella - http://vocab.getty.edu/ulan/500355437
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