Ella Fitzgerald
Biography
"The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was arguably the finest female jazz singer of all time (although some may vote for Sarah Vaughan or Billie Holiday). Blessed with a beautiful voice and a wide range, Fitzgerald could outswing anyone, was a brilliant scat singer, and had near-perfect elocution; one could always understand the words she sang. The one fault was that, since she always sounded so happy to be singing, Fitzgerald did not always dig below the surface of the lyrics she interpreted and she even made a downbeat song such as "Love for Sale" sound joyous. However, when one evaluates her career on a whole, there is simply no one else in her class.. One could never guess from her singing that Ella Fitzgerald's early days were as grim as Billie Holiday's. Growing up in poverty, Fitzgerald was literally homeless for the year before she got her big break. In 1934, she appeared at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, winning an amateur contest by singing "Judy" in the style of her idol, Connee Boswell. After a short stint with Tiny Bradshaw, Fitzgerald was brought to the attention of Chick Webb by Benny Carter (who was in the audience at the Apollo). Webb, who was not impressed by the 17-year-old's appearance, was reluctantly persuaded to let her sing with his orchestra on a one-nighter. She went over well and soon the drummer recognized her commercial potential. Starting in 1935, Fitzgerald began recording with Webb's Orchestra, and by 1937 over half of the band's selections featured her voice. "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" became a huge hit in 1938 and "Undecided" soon followed. During this era, Fitzgerald was essentially a pop/swing singer who was best on ballads while her medium-tempo performances were generally juvenile novelties. She already had a beautiful voice but did not improvise or scat much; that would develop later.
Top Albums |
1. Ella: The Le..
| 2. The Last Dec..
| 3. The Early Ye..
| 4. The Intimate..
| 5. Clap Hands H..
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6. These Are th..
| 7. The Best of ..
| 8. The Best of ..
| 9. Pure Ella
| 10. Porgy and Be..
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11. Ella for Lov..
| 12. Ella and Bas..
| 13. Ella & L..
| 14. Ella: The Le..
| 15. Ken Burns's ..
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16. Ella Wishes ..
| 17. Ella Fitzger..
| 18. Love Letters..
| 19. Billie, Ella..
| 20. Clap Hands, ..
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Top Songs |
| Name | Album | Time | Price | |
1. | Dream a Little Dream of Me (Single V.. | Ella & Louis for Lovers | 3:04 | $1.29 | |
2. | Baby, It's Cold Outside | Ella & Friends | 2:43 | $1.29 | |
3. | Summertime | Porgy and Bess | 4:58 | $1.29 | |
4. | Someone to Watch Over Me | Ella: The Legendary Decca R.. | 3:16 | $1.29 | |
5. | Let's Call the Whole Thing Off | Best of Ella Fitzgerald &am.. | 4:14 | $1.29 | |
6. | Misty (1960 Version) | Pure Ella | 2:53 | $1.29 | |
7. | They Can't Take That Away from M.. | Best of Ella Fitzgerald &am.. | 4:40 | $1.29 | |
8. | Cheek to Cheek | Complete Ella Fitzgerald &a.. | 5:54 | $1.29 | |
9. | Sleigh Ride | Ella Wishes You a Swinging .. | 2:55 | $1.29 | |
10. | My Funny Valentine | Pure Ella | 3:54 | $1.29 | |
11. | Too Darn Hot (RAC Mix) | Verve Remixed: The First La.. | 3:10 | $1.29 | |
12. | Dream a Little Dream | Smash Jazz Hits Vol 2 | 3:08 | $0.99 | |
13. | Nearness of You | Ella & Louis for Lovers | 5:39 | $1.29 | |
14. | Moonlight In Vermont | Complete Ella Fitzgerald &a.. | 3:43 | $1.29 | |
15. | Frosty the Snowman | Ella Wishes You a Swinging .. | 2:11 | $1.29 | |
16. | Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Sno.. | Ella Wishes You a Swinging .. | 2:42 | $1.29 | |
17. | Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall | 20th Century Masters - The .. | 3:11 | $1.29 | |
18. | Summertime | Best of Ella Fitzgerald &am.. | 5:01 | $1.29 | |
19. | Love Is Here to Stay | Best of Ella Fitzgerald &am.. | 4:00 | $1.29 | |
20. | All of Me | Ella Swings Gently With Nel.. | 3:22 | $0.99 | |
21. | April In Paris | First Lady of Song (Box Set.. | 4:43 | $1.29 | |
22. | They Can't Take That Away from M.. | Best of the Song Books | 3:11 | $1.29 | |
23. | I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.. | Best of the Song Books | 2:58 | $1.29 | |
24. | It's Only a Paper Moon | Ella & Friends | 2:36 | $1.29 | |
25. | Goodnight, My Love | Benny & His Girls | 3:11 | $0.99 | |
Top Music Videos |
1. It Don't Mean...
| 2. I've Got You ...
| 3. Too Close For...
| 4. This Girl Is ...
| 5. That Old Blac...
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6. Sunshine of Y...
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