ELLA FITZGERALD

FUN FACTS

• She was known as "The First Lady of Jazz" due to her mainstream popularity and vocal talents
• She was an American jazz vocalist
• Her range was spanning three octaves
• Originally, Ella wanted to be a dancer. If she had become a dancer, would we remember her today?
• Her first No.1 hit was: A-Tisket A-Tasket, which she co-wrote

EARLY CAREER

• Unexpected performance at the ApolloTheater set her career in motion
• There, she met bandleader/drummer Chick Webb and joined his band
• Found herself at one of Harlem's hottest clubs, The Savoy Ballroom, when she was with them
• Around the time Webb died, she was briefly married to Ben Kornegay
• Ben was a convicted drug dealer and hustler. They wed in 1941, union soon annulled

JAZZ STAR TAKES OFF

• Going out on her own, she landed a deal with Decca Records
• Made a film debut in the 1942 comedy western movie "Ride 'Em Cowboy
• Career began to take off in 1946 when she started to work with Norman Granz
• Around now, she started touring with Dizzy Gillespie

LATER YEARS

• By the 1980s, Ella began to experience health problems
• She had heart surgery in 1986 then later found out she had diabetes
• The disease left her blind, and in 1994, she had both legs amputated
• Her last recording was in 1989
• Her last public performance was in 1991 at the New York Carnegie Hall