Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as Lady Ella (the First Lady of Song), was considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th Century .

Gifted with a three-octave vocal range, she was noted for her purity of tone, near faultless phrasing and intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. She is widely considered to have been one of the supreme interpreters of the Great American Songbook .

She was the winner of thirteen Grammy Awards , and was awarded the National Medal of Art by President Ronald Reagan and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. Bush.

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia, USA in April, 1917
For many years Fitzgerald's birthdate was thought to be on the same date one year later (in 1918), and is still listed as such in some sources, but research by Nicholson has established 1917 as the correct year of her birth..

Her father, William Fitzgerald, and mother, Temperance (Tempie) Fitzgerald separated soon after her birth. Ella and her mo...