Biography ella fitzgerald life magazine

1917-1996

Who Was Ella Fitzgerald?

Ella Fitzgerald turned to singing after a troubled childhood and debuted at the Apollo Theater in 1934.

Discovered in an amateur contest, she went on to become the top female jazz singer for decades. In 1958, Fitzgerald made history as the first African American woman to win a Grammy Award. Due in no small part to her vocal quality, with lucid intonation and a broad range, the singer would go on to win 13 Grammys in total and sell more than 40 million albums.

A&e biography ella fitzgerald

Her multi-volume "songbooks" on Verve Records are among America's recording treasures.

Early Years

Born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia, singer Fitzgerald was the product of a common-law marriage between William Fitzgerald and Temperance "Tempie" Williams Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald experienced a troubled childhood that began with her parents separating shortly after her birth.

With her mother, Fitzgerald moved to Yonkers, New York. They li