Ella Fitzgerald was notoriously shy and reserved. Despite the fact that she was adored by fans, she was said to be self-conscious about her appearance and, at times, even her musical talent. And even though she was once one of the most famous singers in the world, she didn't have a big circle of friends, just a few close special relationships.
However, when she was on stage, all of that disappeared, and she transformed into the "First Lady of Song" that we know her as today. “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," she once said.
I've been a fan of Ms. Fitzgerald's for most of my life — literally since childhood before I even knew how to recognize musical talent. She always felt like a kindred spirit for some reason. I've even got a picture of her and Louis Armstrong hanging in my office. Upon learning all of that about her, I think I might understand why. While I can't carry a tune in a bucket, I could make a few changes to the paragraphs above, and I'd be describing myself.
Anyway, maybe that's why I love her music so much. Of course, she's super talented, but I can often listen to her sing the same song over and over, and it always seems to match my mood, whether I'm happy, sad, or somewhere in between. And maybe that's why Valentine's Day makes me think of her.
I'm not a big Valentine's Day person, and I promise that's not my single self being bitter. I don't hate it either; I think it's sweet. I just feel like it's a fun kids' holiday. A day to pass out cute cards and conversation hearts at school and have a little party with red and pink iced heart-shaped cookies. My mom always used to ensure I had a special Valentine's Day when I was a child too, but as an adult, it just hasn't really been a thing. You learn that love is not something you can just force into one day of the year and wrap up neatly with superficial greeting card sayings and cheap boxes of chocolate.
If you're doing it right, I think, it's 365 days and the little gestures are spontaneous.
With all that in mind, I wanted to spend my Valentine's Day sharing some more about the life of the woman who I think is one of the most talented people to ever grace the planet and share a few of my favorite tunes. I hope you enjoy them!
Ella Jane Fitzgerald had a humble background. Her parents split up shortly after she was born. Her mother remarried a man who was rumored to be abusive to his stepdaughter. They didn't have much money, and young Ella often had to pitch in. At one point, she even ran money for local gamblers. Despite this, she was fairly happy during her youth. A bit of a tomboy, she enjoyed playing sports and dancing.
She also loved music. Her earliest exposure came during services at the Bethany African Methodist Episcopal Church. She also fell in love with acts like Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and The Boswell Sisters when her mother would bring home their records.
Unfortunately, things changed in 1932 when her mother died in a car accident. Ella was just 15. She went to live with her aunt, but her life took a turn. She did poorly in school, got in trouble with the police, and was, at one point, sent to reform school. While it would be easy for her to feel sorry for herself, she's often said that those years are what turned her into the person and performer she grew up to be.
When she was 17, she went to the Apollo Theater and entered her name in a drawing to participate in Amateur Night. Her plan had been to dance on stage, but the act before her danced so well that she felt intimidated. She was supposedly booed when she got on stage and didn't do anything, so she made up her mind to sing instead. By the end of the song, the crowd was calling for an encore.
The rest, as they say, was history. The saxophonist in the band that night, Benny Carter, helped her launch her storied career and became one of those few lifelong close friends I mentioned.
I'd be here all day if I went into every detail of her career. While she started out performing with jazz bands, she eventually branched out on her own. Soon, she was performing with people like Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra, recording albums, touring the world, and appearing on all the biggest TV variety shows. In 1956, she began recording the Great American Songbook. "I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them," Ira Gershwin once said.
Rather than rehashing her career, I'll share a few interesting facts with you: She recorded 200 albums and 2,000 songs. She often faced discrimination when touring and was even arrested at one time for performing in a club in Texas. (She once said that the police who arrested her "had the nerve to ask for an autograph.")
Marilyn Monroe actually played a role in helping her overcome this. The actress was a big fan of Ella's, and she made a plea to the owners of the infamous Mocambo nightclub in Hollywood, insisting they let her perform. They eventually did, and it's been said that this led to a monumental shift in Ella's career. The two women remained friends until Marilyn died in 1962.
In 1958, Ella became the first black woman to ever win a Grammy. She'd go on to win 14 of them. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan awarded her the National Medal of Arts. There were, of course, plenty of awards in between. She was also one of the first Super Bowl Halftime performers. In 1972, she and Carol Channing performed a tribute to Louis Armstrong. Imagine seeing that on TV today.
Unfortunately, Ella's health eventually got the best of her. In 1986, she underwent surgery to have a heart valve replaced. At the time, her vision was failing, and doctors diagnosed her with diabetes. Even so, she continued to perform for the next five years. Her last performance was at Carnegie Hall in 1991. For the rest of her life, she'd deal with complications from her health problems until her death at her Beverly Hills home in 1996.
On a personal note, she had a soft spot for children, and her official biography suggests that was a side of her that the public rarely saw. She was often donating time and money to help children in need. Before her death, she created the The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, donating her money to education, particularly for less fortunate music students; providing food, shelter, and healthcare to those in need; and donating to medical research for diabetes and heart disease.
Since it's Valentine's Day, I'll add that Ella was married two, possibly three times. Shortly after marrying her first husband, she found out he was a criminal and had the marriage annulled. Her second husband, Ray Brown, was the bassist in Dizzy Gillespie’s band and about a decade younger than Ella. They were married for a while and adopted a son, but their schedules kept them apart. They eventually divorced but remained close friends for the rest of her life. There were also rumors that she married a young Norwegian man at some point, but it was never confirmed.
Now that you know a little bit about the greatest singer of all time, I'll wrap this up with a few of my favorite Ella songs.
My absolute favorite is her version of "Angel Eyes." I actually didn't know this until writing this article, but she also said it was her all-time favorite, so that's kind of cool.
My second favorite is her duet with Louis Armstrong, "Summertime" from the Porgy and Bess album.
Speaking of Louis Armstrong, I also love their duet of "Dream a Little Dream of Me."
"Someone to Watch Over Me" is another one of my favorites, and it's probably the one I can relate to most on this Valentine's Day.
And last but not least, here's the fun song that many said made Ella a star, "A-Tisket-A-Tasket," which is based on the nursery rhyme of the same name.
There are more, but I'll stop there. Do we have any Ella fans in the audience here at PJM? And if not, who is your go-to singer for love songs? Let me know in the comments. Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!
