Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, takes a look back at the life and influence of the “First Lady of Song”
Today marks what would have been famed jazz songstress and
cultural icon Ella
Fitzgerald’s 100th birthday. Best known for her renditions of “Dream
a Little Dream of Me,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” and
“A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” among countless others, she has sold millions of albums and
released more than 200 records throughout her career, becoming one of the most
famous jazz singers in the world.
Fitzgerald started her music career in her teens after
winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem in 1934. Originally
slated to dance that night, according to her website bio, she changed her
routine last minute, wowing the crowd with her voice. That night she met saxophonist
Benny Carter, who introduced her to many people on the jazz circuit and her
career took off. By 1936, Fitzgerald was signed to Decca and making her first
recordings. By 1938, she had her first hit with “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.”
Though she grew up in relative poverty and had a fairly
rough go of it after her mother passed, she never let her past influence her
music. She didn’t even let the discrimination she faced at the height of her
career in the 1950s stop her. "Despite whatever difficulties she had in
her life, you could hear the joy," historian John T. Reddick told NPR
about the singer. Fitzgerald’s perseverance and ambition drove her to continue
on at the hands of an adoring public.
What made Ella Fitzgerald so popular were her unique vocal abilities.
Known for a particular clarity in her voice, it was her skill in scat and
improvisation that really stuck with fans. The singer would use her voice as if
it were another brass instrument, once
saying that she “tried to do what I heard the horns in the band doing.”
Even to this day, Ella Fitzgerald continues to be adored by millions
of music fans all over the world. She has been honored for her work here in the
US and Europe with awards and honorary degrees. Her influence and legacy have
been captured in song by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Patti Austin, Wynton Marsalis and
Stevie Wonder, among others.
There are also many
shows happening all over the world this week organized to celebrate the singer’s
centennial. This includes three here in New York: a series at Birdland Jazz
Club running today through Saturday, a special gala at Lincoln Center on
Wednesday and a performance by Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis at
Tilles Center on Sunday.
Ella Fitzgerald, with her unique voice and ambition,
dominated the jazz world during her six decade career. In a true rags-to-riches
story, she was able to raise herself from a less than glamorous childhood and
adolescence to superstardom with one fateful performance and the perseverance to
succeed. Fitzgerald and her music are still highly influential to today’s
musical landscape and will be for another century and beyond.
---
Celebrate legendary artists like Ella Fitzgerald at Long Island’s
top new independent record shop, Vinyl Bay 777. Whether you are looking for
jazz, blues, rock, pop, metal, R&B, classical, dance or any other genre, we
have thousands of titles to choose from. We have a wide selection of new and
used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, DVDs and memorabilia in stock in store and online
at vinylbay777.com. More titles are being added frequently, so it’s always a
great time to stop by and see what’s new.
No comments:
Post a Comment