Background Information
Ella Fitzgerald, also known as the First Lady of Song or Queen of Jazz, was born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25, 1917. She started her childhood with difficulties since her father left her as soon as she was born. As a result, Fitzgerald’s family did not have a father figure to rely on. Fitzgerald moved to New York in 1932 and lived with her mother’s boyfriend. Her family faced financial issues and Fitzgerald decided to take on multiple jobs to increase the money that was coming into the household. During her free time, she would go watch some acts at the Apollo Theater. There, she was able to find her interest in music and decided that she wanted to become a dancer when she grew up. However, things took a turn when her mother died in a car crash and her father died from a heart attack. Fitzgerald moved in with her aunt and she became miserable. She went to reform schools, was beat often by her caretakers and skipped school. Fitzgerald wanted to escape her current living conditions and roamed the streets during the Great Depression at the age of 15 looking for possible alternatives.
She entered a contest from the Apollo Theater to perform to win money. She originally decided to dance but after viewing the other performers, she sang instead and impressed those around her. She won the grand prize of $25 and discovered her passion for singing. After the performance, she met Benny Carter, who was in the band that night. Surprised by her talent, he introduced her to people who could help her to reach her full potential. Fitzgerald competed in numerous talent shows and won many prizes for her talent. She met Chick Webb when performing and he offered her a position in the band. She accepted and started to experiment with different styles of singing during this time such as scat singing. When Webb died, Fitzgerald took over the band and continued to tour with them, though they eventually disbanded.
She married dockworker Benny Kornegay but divorced him after learning about his criminal record. During one of her tours with DIzzy Gillespie, she fell in love with Ray Brown, married him and adopted a child named Ray Jr. Brown. They would divorce later due to the time spent away from each other, but they remained good friends. Brown introduced Fitzgerald to Norman Grantz, Brown’s producer and manager. Fitzgerald was given many opportunities with Grantz’s aid such as writing songs with Louis Armstrong, going on tour, and producing her songs. Through his help, Fitzgerald was able to make appearances on a variety of shows and gained popularity. However, she did not stop there. She went on a world tour, created a charity foundation and won many awards. She was able to sell 40 million albums and won 13 Grammy’s during her lifetime. Unfortunately, she died on June 15, 1996 due to medical issues like circulatory problems and diabetes.
Socioeconomic and Cultural Context
The period of the Great Depression saw a desperate pursuit of the arts as a method of expression during a time of widespread despondency, and Ella Fitzgerald was one of the figures at the forefront of this artistic movement. In search of an escape from the suffering that plagued her lifestyle subsequent to the untimely death of her parents, Fitzgerald participated in a competition at the Apollo Theatre, where her impromptu singing performance jumpstarted her career.
Fitzgerald integrated the emotions of having experienced an unpleasant childhood into her performances. She expressed her firm belief that the memories contributed to her maturity, and reflected that they were vital to the authenticity of her singing. Fitzgerald attributes her success to understanding the hardships of living in destitution without the aid of a proper family, conveying her gratitude for the direction her life had taken.
Influences
Bebop was a type of jazz by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie that focused on quick rhythms and harmonies. Fitzgerald was inspired by this and started experimenting with this genre when she was in their band. However, she used her voice, rather than instruments, to produce the sounds. She became known for her scatting, which is improvisation with the use of melodies instead of words.
Impact
Ella Fitzgerald made an impact on the music industry and how women were portrayed. Since she was an African American woman who was pursuing her dreams, many were inspired by her accomplishments. Typically, it would be difficult for a women to achieve any recognition but Fitzgerald was successful in doing so and become known as the First Lady of Song. She broke down the barriers of women stereotypes and garnered positive attention and recognition as a respected black female musician.
Seminar Themes
What is art and what is its purpose?
During this period of great misery and hardship, the people turned to arts and entertainment as a welcome distraction from their depressing realities. This rang especially true for Ella Fitzgerald herself, who found joy in her own art despite the tragedies she experienced throughout her early life. Fitzgerald took on odd jobs to survive in the streets of Harlem, ranging from dancing to watching out for approaching police officers outside a brothel. She had never considered singing as a profession until the stage fright that prevented her from dancing prompted her to sing, and resulted in the discovery of a passion for this different form of art. Fitzgerald’s music, which began as her own personal salvation, became the medium through which others were also able to temporarily escape the distress of the Depression.
Morals and Norms
The public’s eagerness for a thrill largely encouraged the thriving of jazz music, and the industry welcomed artistic contributions from every race—a novel development for those who had experienced racism and segregation. As such, black musicians were able to demonstrate their musical ability and became the driving force behind the flourishing genre. Beyond the great strides she had made for black representation in the music industry, Ella Fitzgerald was able to overcome the hurdles presented by societal expectations of performers’ appearances through sheer musical ability. While bandleader Fletcher Henderson deemed Fitzgerald unfit for the prevailing image of attractive singers, Chick Webb eventually chose to overlook appearances in favor of her overwhelming talent and offered her a position in the band, leading to an immensely successful career.
Works Cited
“Biography.” Ella Fitzgerald. N.p., 07 Apr. 2017. Web.
“Ella Fitzgerald.” Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017. Web.
“Ella Fitzgerald.” Ella Fitzgerald – Home. N.p., n.d. Web.
Stamberg, Susan. “Early Hardship Couldn’t Muffle Ella Fitzgerald’s Joy.” NPR, NPR, 25 Apr. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/04/25/524726767/early-hardship-couldnt-muffle-ella-fitzgeralds-joy.
The Great Depression and the New Deal. N.p., n.d. Web.
Voa. “Ella Fitzgerald, 1917-1996: She Was America’s First Lady of Song.” VOA. VOA, 26 May 2007. Web.
By Stephanie Tam and Joyce Chan
December 17, 2017 at 1:27 am
I have always had immense respect for the talents of Ella Fitzgerald and often categorized her with Billie Holiday as two of the most important Jazz performers of all time. Your presentation really showed me how simultaneously different and alike their lives were. Though Fitzgerald’s life did not end as unfortunately as Holiday’s, both women dealt with themes of discrimination, poverty, and addiction, which while did not affect Fitzgerald directly, was influential in the lives of the people who surrounded her. This is just one of the many ways the lives of these two women paralleled one another, and I believe for this reason, studying their lives gives us good insight into the kind of pressures life as a black woman in the 1930s entailed.