One of the greatest singers of the 20th century, a childhood of an abusive stepfather, becoming an orphan after her mother’s death when she was 15, and a state reformatory school did not keep Ella from fulfilling her destiny in jazz history. Her performing career began in November 1934 with a winning performance at the Apollo Theater's famous Amateur Nights. Her 1938 hit with the Chick Webb Orchestra, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” jumpstarted her remarkable recording career after a few other singles that failed to gain her the same recognition. After Webb’s death in 1939, Ella took over as leader of his orchestra and recorded with the Decca label. Her 150 records with Decca included now classic collaborations with The Ink Spots, Louis Jordan, and the Delta Rhythm Boys.
Her manager starting in the mid 1940s, Norman Granz, would found Verve Records specifically around Fitzgerald in 1956. She would go on to record extensively for Verve with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie: arguably the hallmark of her career as she demonstrated her mastery of her jazz roots in the swing style as well as a greater embrace of bebop language. She also performed and recorded as a leader including her famous survey of the "Great American Songbook" across her eight Song Book albums from 1956-1964. The later part of her career saw the numerous albums she recorded for Granz’s Pablo label during the 70s and 80s with the likes of Joe Pass, Tommy Flanagan, and Oscar Peterson. She won a total of 13 Grammy Awards throughout her career and was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1967. Fitzgerald also held honorary doctorates from Yale University and Harvard University, and was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1985.
In addition to her exemplary musicianship, Fitzgerald was also a noted civil rights activist who constantly combated racial discrimination throughout her life and career. Her contributions to American society were marked by her reception of the National Medal of the Arts in 1987 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. She was also recognized with the Equal Justice Award and the American Black Achievement Award by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Ella Fitzgerald’s legacy will never be forgotten here at WKCR. Listeners can tune in on 89.9FM or stream the birthday celebration live on our website, wkcr.org. Follow WKCR on Instagram (@wkcr) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for updates about this special broadcast and future events. Online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org via our web stream.
