First Lady of Song

The First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz, Lady Ella: these loving nicknames have been bestowed upon arguably one of the greatest singers of all time, Ella Fitzgerald. And for good reason, too. I grew up listening to Ella’s sultry voice thanks to my music-loving father, who has a particular soft spot for the classics and oldies. Although, I never truly appreciated the importance and impact of her long musical career until I was much older. I just loved the way she sang and how her songs made me feel. It was only when we began to take an in-depth dive the civil rights movement in school did the gears begin to turn and things clicked into place for me. By every right, Ella was an incredibly talented singer; however, for her to have such a successful career during the late 1930’s through 1960’s takes her to a completely different level of powerhouse.

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in 1917 and had a rough adolescence due to her mother and stepfather both passing away when she was in her mid-teens. She was taken in by her aunt, but Ella’s increased unhappiness led to her skipping school, grades dramatically decline, and eventually she wound up in a reform school. The reformatory was even worse for her mental health, so the then-15-year-old set off on her own in 1932, smack dab in the middle of the Great Depression.

Despite having a shy and reserved personality, Ella loved to sing. In 1934, she entered an amateur night at the Apollo Theater and found that despite her shyness, she found she had no fear when she was on stage. Ella later said about that evening, “once up there, I felt the acceptance and love from my audience. I knew I wanted to sing before people the rest of my life.” At the tender age of 17, Ella’s beautiful voice hushed an entire crowd and she won first place. Little did she know at that time, but that amateur night was the first day of a long, successful, and disruptive career in a predominantly-white, man-oriented industry. She entered-- and won--every talent contest she could find, and in doing so, caught the eye of bandleader Chick Webb. At 18 years old, Ella was traveling with a band and by 1938, at only 21 years old, she had a number one hit (“A-Tisket, A-Tasket”), sold 1 million copies of her single, and remained on the top of the pop charts for 17 weeks. Ella was a star.

In addition to being a talented singer with an iconic voice, Ella was also a champion of civil rights. A woman ahead of her time, Ella leveraged her fame to push for equal rights and was not one to back down when she was mistreated or discriminated against. Along with her manager, Norman Granz, and her band, Jazz at the Philharmonic, they would refuse to play at any concert venue that supported segregation. If they showed up to a venue that had “whites-only” and “blacks-only” areas, they would refuse to perform and would refund the ticket costs, unless the barriers were removed. Ella and her team also faced discrimination when trying to board a flight on Pan-Am, a flight for which they’d purchased first class tickets. By not being allowed to board, they ended up being stranded for three days without their suitcases. Ella’s response to this was to file a civil suit citing racial discrimination—a suit that she won.

Ella’s long withstanding career spanned six decades, winning her 13 Grammy awards, selling over 40 million albums, and achieving countless other accolades, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement, and an honorary doctorate in Music from Harvard University. These are no small feats for anyone—let alone someone dealing with racial and sexual discrimination in a very trying time in our country’s history. Ella had the audacity to be a Black woman making a career for herself in the 1940’s. But, she was fearless and she marched ever on, forging the path for many more women behind her to follow their dreams as well. She laid the groundwork for many of today’s top talent and it is safe to say that without Ella, the music scene would look a whole lot different.

Ella’s story should be inspirational to all, regardless of your race, gender, or background. I know it is to me, and I hear her music in such a different way now.