Ella Fitzgerald

Born: 1917 Newport News, VA

Died: 1996

Made her singing debut at age 17 at the Apollo Theater in NYC.

American jazz singer – called the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz and Lady Ella.

She was noted for her purity of tone, perfect diction and having a “horn-like” improvisational ability, particularly with her scat style singing.

Worked with greats like Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington over 60+ year career.

Recorded over 2,000 songs in her lifetime and won 13 Grammy Awards.

Was a civil rights activist who used her fame and success to break racial barriers across the nation, being awarded the NAACP Equal Justice Award.