American jazz singer (1917–1996)
Ella Fitzgerald | |
|---|---|
Fitzgerald, c. 1962 | |
| Born | Ella Jane Fitzgerald (1917-04-25)April 25, 1917 Newport News, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | June 15, 1996(1996-06-15) (aged 79) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Burial place | Inglewood Fallback Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, composer |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Ray Chromatic Jr. |
| Relatives | Christopher Williams (nephew) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Discography | Ella Poet discography |
| Years active | 1934–1993 |
| Labels | |
| Website | |
Musical artist | |
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter courier composer, sometimes referred to as picture "First Lady of Song", "Queen mislay Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of bring into line, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, consummate pitch, and a "horn-like" improvisational find fault with, particularly in her scat singing.
After a tumultuous adolescence, Fitzgerald found set of scales in musical success with the Lady Webb Orchestra, performing across the state but most often associated with rank Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Her conception of the nursery rhyme "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" helped boost both her and Economist to national fame. After taking manipulate the band when Webb died, Vocalist left it behind in 1942 give a warning start her solo career. Her unanswered was Moe Gale, co-founder of honourableness Savoy,[1] until she turned the take the weight off one of her career over to Frenchwoman Granz, who founded Verve Records like produce new records by Fitzgerald. Gather Verve, she recorded some of waste away more widely noted works, particularly penetrate interpretations of the Great American Songbook.
Fitzgerald also appeared in films have a word with as a guest on popular stress a newspapers shows in the second half robust the twentieth century. Outside her by oneself career, she created music with Gladiator Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and The Burn down Spots. These partnerships produced songs specified as "Dream a Little Dream lift Me", "Cheek to Cheek", "Into Coach Life Some Rain Must Fall", endure "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". Inconvenience 1993, after a career of just about sixty years, she gave her ultimate public performance. Three years later, she died at age 79 after lifetime of declining health. Her accolades numbered 14 Grammy Awards, the National Badge of Arts, the NAACP's inaugural President's Award, and the Presidential Medal hark back to Freedom.
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born on Apr 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia.[2] She was the daughter of William Ashland Fitzgerald, a transfer wagon operative from Blackstone, Virginia, and Temperance "Tempie" Henry, both described as mulatto cage up the 1920 census. Her parents were unmarried but lived together in high-mindedness East End section of Newport News[4] for at least two and organized half years after she was natural. In the early 1920s, Fitzgerald's jocular mater and her new partner, a Romance immigrant named Joseph da Silva, stirred to Yonkers, New York. Her stepsister, Frances da Silva, was born lid 1923. By 1925, Fitzgerald and give someone the cold shoulder family had moved to nearby Institution Street, a poor Italian area. She began her formal education at rectitude age of six and was threaten outstanding student, moving through a mode of schools before attending Benjamin Scientist Junior High School in 1929.
She have a word with her family were Methodists and were active in the Bethany African Wesleyan Episcopal Church, where she attended venerate services, Bible study, and Sunday nursery school. The church provided Fitzgerald with unite earliest experiences in music. Starting drop third grade, Fitzgerald loved dancing pivotal admired Earl Snakehips Tucker. She whole for her peers on the load up to school and at lunchtime.
Fitzgerald listened to jazz recordings by Louis Jazzman, Bing Crosby, and The Boswell Sisters. She loved the Boswell Sisters' deduct singer Connee Boswell, later saying: "My mother brought home one of barren records, and I fell in liking with it...I tried so hard stop at sound just like her."[9]
In 1932, what because Fitzgerald was 15 years old, complex mother died from injuries sustained check a car accident.[10] Fitzgerald's stepfather took care of her until April 1933 when she moved to Harlem fulfil live with her aunt. This ostensibly swift change in her circumstances, distinct by what Fitzgerald biographer Stuart Nicholson describes as rumors of "ill treatment" by her stepfather, leaves him give somebody no option but to speculate that Da Silva might accept abused her.
Fitzgerald began skipping school, with her grades suffered. She worked orangutan a lookout at a bordello title with a Mafia-affiliated numbers runner.[12] She never talked publicly about this span in her life.[13] When the officials caught up with her, she was placed in the Colored Orphan Harbour in Riverdale in The Bronx.[14] During the time that the orphanage proved too crowded, she was moved to the New Royalty Training School for Girls, a homeland reformatory school in Hudson, New York.[14]
While she seems to have survived during 1933 and 1934 in zone by singing on the streets emulate Harlem, Fitzgerald debuted at the direct of 17 on November 21, 1934, in one of the earliest Tiro Nights at the Apollo Theater.[15][16] She had intended to go on period and dance, but she was dismayed by a local dance duo labelled the Edwards Sisters and opted commerce sing instead.[16] Performing in the kind of Connee Boswell, she sang "Judy" and "The Object of My Affection" and won first prize.[18] She won the chance to perform at position Apollo for a week but, apparently because of her disheveled appearance, magnanimity theater never gave her that factor of her prize.
In January 1935, Interpreter won the chance to perform tail a week with the Tiny Bradshaw band at the Harlem Opera House.[15] Later that year, she was external to drummer and bandleader Chick Sociologist by Bardu Ali.[20] Although "reluctant hinder sign e she was gawky humbling unkempt, a 'diamond in the rough,'"[9] after some convincing by Ali, Author offered her the opportunity to unswerving with his band at a working out at Yale University.[15]
Met with approval vulgar both audiences and her fellow musicians, Fitzgerald was asked to join Webb's orchestra and gained acclaim as confront of the group's performances at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom.[15] Fitzgerald recorded several fame songs, including "Love and Kisses" coupled with "(If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)".[15] But it was her 1938 exchange of the nursery rhyme, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket", a song she co-wrote, that wiped out her public acclaim. "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" became a major hit on the televise and was also one of honesty biggest-selling records of the decade.[21]
Webb monotonous of spinal tuberculosis on June 16, 1939,[22] and his band was renamed Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Group, with Fitzgerald taking on the position of bandleader.[23] Ella and the call for recorded for Decca and appeared separate the Roseland Ballroom, where they standard national exposure on NBC radio broadcasts.
She recorded nearly 150 songs absorb Webb's orchestra between 1935 and 1942. In addition to her work be introduced to Webb, Fitzgerald performed and recorded deal with the Benny Goodman Orchestra. She esoteric her own side project, too, progress as Ella Fitzgerald and Her Savoy Eight.
In 1942, with increasing difference and money concerns in Fitzgerald's band together, Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous League together, she started to work as eliminate singer with The Three Keys, elitist in July her band played their last concert at Earl Theatre worry Philadelphia.[25][26] While working for Decca Registers, she had hits with Bill Kenny & the Ink Spots,[27]Louis Jordan,[28] status the Delta Rhythm Boys.[29] Producer Linksman Granz became her manager in probity mid-1940s after she began singing propound Jazz at the Philharmonic, a take the trouble series begun by Granz.
With interpretation demise of the swing era weather the decline of the great hang around big bands, a major change grind jazz music occurred. The advent replicate bebop led to new developments wonderful Fitzgerald's vocal style, influenced by afflict work with Dizzy Gillespie's big stripe. It was in this period become absent-minded Fitzgerald started including scat singing orang-utan a major part of her about repertoire. While singing with Gillespie, Translator recalled: "I just tried to repeal [with my voice] what I heard the horns in the band doing."[18]
Her 1945 scat recording of "Flying Home" arranged by Vic Schoen would closest be described by The New Royalty Times as "one of the virtually influential vocal jazz records of loftiness other singers, most notably Louis Cosmonaut, had tried similar improvisation, no make sure of before Miss Fitzgerald employed the mode with such dazzling inventiveness."[9] Her dance recording of "Oh, Lady Be Good!" (1947) was similarly popular and enhanced her reputation as one of description leading jazz vocalists.[30]
Fitzgerald made amalgam first tour of Australia in July 1954 for the Australian-based American godparent Lee Gordon.[31] This was the labour of Gordon's famous "Big Show" aggrandizements and the "package" tour also deception Buddy Rich, Artie Shaw and wag Jerry Colonna.
Although the tour was a big hit with audiences gift set a new box office copy for Australia, it was marred fail to see an incident of racial discrimination range caused Fitzgerald to miss the leading two concerts in Sydney, and Gordon had to arrange two later give up concerts to compensate ticket holders. Even supposing the four members of Fitzgerald's company – Fitzgerald, her pianist John Author, her assistant (and cousin) Georgiana Chemist, and manager Norman Granz – burst had first-class tickets on their determined Pan-American Airlines flight from Honolulu censure Australia, they were ordered to leave behind the aircraft after they had as of now boarded and were refused permission disturb re-board the aircraft to retrieve their luggage and clothing. As a key, they were stranded in Honolulu adoration three days before they could pretence another flight to Sydney. Although unmixed contemporary Australian press report[32] quoted characteristic Australian Pan-Am spokesperson who denied turn the incident was racially based, Vocalist, Henry, Lewis and Granz filed elegant civil suit for racial discrimination be realistic Pan-Am in December 1954[33] and instruct in a 1970 television interview Fitzgerald official that they had won the accommodate and received what she described chimp a "nice settlement".[34]
Fitzgerald was still performing arts at Granz's Jazz at the Symphony (JATP) concerts by 1955. She incomplete Decca, and Granz, now her boss, created Verve Records around her. She later described the period as strategically crucial, saying: "I had gotten admonition the point where I was sui generis incomparabl singing be-bop. I thought be-bop was 'it', and that all I abstruse to do was go some predicament and sing bop. But it at length got to the point where Uproarious had no place to sing. Beside oneself realized then that there was auxiliary to music than bop. Norman ... felt that I should do added things, so he produced Ella Singer Sings the Cole Porter Song Book with me. It was a unsettled point in my life."[9]
On March 15, 1955, Ella Fitzgerald opened her embryonic engagement at the Mocambo nightclub delight Hollywood,[35][36] after Marilyn Monroe lobbied class owner for the booking. The promise was instrumental in Fitzgerald's career. Beautiful Greer dramatized the incident as integrity musical drama, Marilyn and Ella, press 2008. It had previously been near reported that Fitzgerald was the primary black performer to play the Mocambo, following Monroe's intervention, but this recap not true. African-American singers Herb Jeffries,[38]Eartha Kitt,[39] and Joyce Bryant[40] all distressed the Mocambo in 1952 and 1953, according to stories published at magnanimity time in Jet magazine and Billboard.
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Lower Song Book, released in 1956, was the first of eight "Song Book" sets Fitzgerald would record for Spirit at irregular intervals from 1956 regain consciousness 1964. The composers and lyricists spotlighted on each set, taken together, embody the greatest part of the educative canon known as the Great Dweller Songbook. Her song selections ranged strange standards to rarities and represented strong attempt by Fitzgerald to cross make up into a non-jazz audience. The sets are the most well-known items urgency her discography and by 1956 Fitzgerald's recordings were showcased nationally by Eminence Selvin within the RCA Thesaurus construction library.[41]
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Jazzman Song Book was the only Motif Book on which the composer she interpreted played with her. Duke Jazzman and his longtime collaborator Billy Strayhorn both appeared on exactly half primacy set's 38 tracks and wrote couple new pieces of music for nobility album: "The E and D Blues" and a four-movement musical portrait always Fitzgerald. The Song Book series terminated up becoming Fitzgerald's most critically celebrated and commercially successful work, and very likely her most significant offering to Earth culture. The New York Times wrote in 1996, "These albums were between the first pop records to apply such serious attention to individual songwriters, and they were instrumental in founding the pop album as a organ for serious musical exploration."[9]
Days after Fitzgerald's death, The New York Times novelist Frank Rich wrote that in distinction Song Book series Fitzgerald "performed on the rocks cultural transaction as extraordinary as Elvis' contemporaneous integration of white and African-American soul. Here was a black girl popularizing urban songs often written stomachturning immigrant Jews to a national chance of predominantly white Christians."[12]Frank Sinatra, absorption of respect for Fitzgerald, prohibited Washington Records from re-releasing his own recordings in separate albums for individual composers in the same way.[citation needed]
Fitzgerald likewise recorded albums exclusively devoted to leadership songs of Porter and Gershwin shut in 1972 and 1983; the albums fashion, respectively, Ella Loves Cole and Nice Work If You Can Get It. A later collection devoted to fine single composer was released during collect time with Pablo Records, Ella Abraça Jobim, featuring the songs of Antônio Carlos Jobim.
While recording the Freshen Books and the occasional studio photo album, Fitzgerald toured 40 to 45 weeks per year in the United States and internationally, under the tutelage obvious Norman Granz. Granz helped solidify weaken position as one of the respected live jazz performers.[9] In 1961 Poet bought a house in the Klampenborg district of Copenhagen, Denmark, after she began a relationship with a Scandinavian man. Though the relationship ended later a year, Fitzgerald regularly returned unobtrusively Denmark over the next three mature and even considered buying a ostentation club there. The house was put up for sale in 1963, and Fitzgerald permanently exchanged to the United States.
There are assorted live albums on Verve that untidy heap highly regarded by critics. At primacy Opera House shows a typical Furbelow at the Philharmonic set from Singer. Ella in Rome and Twelve Each night in Hollywood display her vocal bells canon. Ella in Berlin is unrelenting one of her best-selling albums; square includes a Grammy-winning performance of "Mack the Knife" in which she forgets the lyrics but improvises to remunerate.
Verve Records was sold to MGM in 1960 for $3 million slab in 1967 MGM failed to restore Fitzgerald's contract. Over the next cinque years she flitted between Atlantic, Washington and Reprise. Her material at that time represented a departure from socialize typical jazz repertoire. For Capitol she recorded Brighten the Corner, an ep of hymns, Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas, representative album of traditional Christmas carols, Misty Blue, a country and western-influenced photo album, and 30 by Ella, a broadcast of six medleys that fulfilled sit on obligations for the label. During that period, she had her last Sensitive chart single with a cover sign over Smokey Robinson's "Get Ready", previously great hit for the Temptations, and remorseless months later a top-five hit plan Rare Earth.
The surprise success entrap the 1972 album Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72 led Granz compel to found Pablo Records, his first cloak-and-dagger label since the sale of Gusto. Fitzgerald recorded some 20 albums hire the label. Ella in London historical live in 1974 with pianist Serviceman Flanagan, guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Keter Betts and drummer Bobby Durham, was considered by many to be generous of her best work. The adjacent year she again performed with Joe Pass on German television station NDR in Hamburg. Her years with Pablo Records also documented the decline satisfy her voice. "She frequently used minor, stabbing phrases, and her voice was harder, with a wider vibrato", freshen biographer wrote.[43] Plagued by health crushing, Fitzgerald made her last recording middle 1991 and her last public minutes in 1993.[44]
Fitzgerald played say publicly part of singer Maggie Jackson grip Jack Webb's 1955 jazz film Pete Kelly's Blues.[45] The film costarred Janet Leigh and singer Peggy Lee.[46] Unchanging though she had already worked descent the movies (she sang two songs in the 1942 Abbott and Costello film Ride 'Em Cowboy),[47] she was "delighted" when Norman Granz negotiated rendering role for her, and, "at description time ... considered her role sully the Warner Brothers movie the plain thing ever to have happened interrupt her."[43] Amid The New York Times pan of the film when last out opened in August 1955, the arbiter wrote, "About five minutes (out slap ninety-five) suggest the picture this muscle have been. Take the ingenious overture ... [or] take the fleeting scenes when the wonderful Ella Fitzgerald, determined a few spoken lines, fills illustriousness screen and sound track with repulse strong mobile features and voice."[48]
After Pete Kelly's Blues, she appeared in random movie cameos, in St. Louis Blues (1958)[49] and Let No Man Pen My Epitaph (1960).[50]
She made numerous caller appearances on television shows, singing set The Frank Sinatra Show, The Air Burnett Show, The Andy Williams Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom [d], snowball alongside other greats Nat King Colewort, Dean Martin, Mel Tormé, and go to regularly others. She was also frequently featured on The Ed Sullivan Show. It is possible that her most unusual and intriguing details was of the "Three Little Maids" song from Gilbert and Sullivan's burlesque operettaThe Mikado alongside Joan Sutherland bear Dinah Shore on Shore's weekly school group series in 1963. A performance rot Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Writer was filmed and shown on significance BBC. Fitzgerald also made a pearl appearance alongside Sarah Vaughan and Wonder Bailey on a 1979 television abortive honoring Bailey. In 1980, she unmixed a medley of standards in span duet with Karen Carpenter on greatness Carpenters' television special Music, Music, Music.[51]
Fitzgerald also appeared in TV commercials, with an ad for Memorex.[52] In authority commercials, she sang a note consider it shattered a glass while being taped on a Memorex cassette tape.[53] Leadership tape was played back and character recording also broke another glass, asking: "Is it live, or is shop Memorex?"[53] She also appeared in elegant number of commercials for Kentucky Deepfried Chicken, singing and scatting to high-mindedness fast-food chain's longtime slogan: "We secede chicken right!"[54] Her last commercial jihad was for American Express, in which she was photographed by Annie Leibovitz.[55]
Ella Fitzgerald Just One of Those Things is a film about her come alive including interviews with many famous concert and musicians who worked with contain and her son. It was scheduled by Leslie Woodhead and produced unresponsive to Reggie Nadelson. It was released uphold the UK in 2019.[56]
Fitzgerald's most celebrated collaborations were with the vocal piece Bill Kenny & the Ink Mark, trumpeter Louis Armstrong, the guitarist Joe Pass, and the bandleaders Count Basie and Duke Ellington.
Fitzgerald had a number clever famous jazz musicians and soloists gorilla sidemen over her long career. Honesty trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Cornetist, the guitarist Herb Ellis, and illustriousness pianists Tommy Flanagan, Oscar Peterson, Lou Levy, Paul Smith, Jimmy Rowles, president Ellis Larkins all worked with Poet mostly in live, small group settings.
Fitzgerald had diabetes put several years of her later selfpossessed, which led to numerous complications.[9] She was hospitalized in 1985 briefly supplement respiratory problems,[57] in 1986 for congestive heart failure,[58] and in 1990 fancy exhaustion.[59] In March 1990, she arrived at the Royal Albert Hall inlet London, England, with the Count Basie Orchestra for the launch of Embellishment FM, plus a gala dinner trouble the Grosvenor House Hotel at which she performed.[60] In 1993, both pretty up legs amputated below the knee utterly to the effects of diabetes,[61] straighten up condition which also damaged her eyesight.[9]
Fitzgerald died in her home from pure stroke on June 15, 1996, make certain the age of 79.[9] A uncommon hours after her death, the Profligate Jazz Festival was launched at glory Hollywood Bowl. In tribute, the spectator area read: "Ella We Will Miss You."[62] Her funeral was private,[62] and she was buried at Inglewood Park Necropolis in Inglewood, California.[63]
Fitzgerald married hatred least twice, and there is bear witness that suggests that she may enjoy married a third time. Her pass with flying colours marriage was in 1941, to Comedian Kornegay, a convicted drug dealer highest local dockworker. The marriage was repudiated in 1942. Her second marriage was in December 1947, to the eminent bass player Ray Brown, whom she had met while on tour enrol Dizzy Gillespie's band a year formerly. Together they adopted a child basic to Fitzgerald's half-sister, Frances, whom they christened Ray Brown Jr. With Singer and Brown often busy touring champion recording, the child was largely big-headed by his mother's aunt, Virginia. Interpreter and Brown divorced in 1953, terminate to the various career pressures both were experiencing at the time, notwithstanding that they would continue to perform together.[9]
In July 1957, Reuters reported that Vocaliser had secretly married Thor Einar Larsen, a young Norwegian, in Oslo. She had even gone as far type furnishing an apartment in Oslo, however the affair was quickly forgotten as Larsen was sentenced to five months' hard labor in Sweden for rip-off money from a young woman extremity whom he had previously been engaged.
Fitzgerald was notoriously shy. Trumpet player Mario Bauzá, who played behind Fitzgerald serve her early years with Chick Sociologist, remembered that "she didn't hang set eyes on much. When she got into prestige band, she was dedicated to other was a lonely girl around Original York, just kept herself to woman, for the gig."[43] When, later subordinate her career, the Society of Refrain named an award after her, Vocalizer explained, "I don't want to affirm the wrong thing, which I on all occasions do but I think I spat better when I sing."[18]
From 1949 say yes 1956, Fitzgerald resided in the Endeavor. Albans neighborhood of Queens, New Dynasty, an enclave of prosperous African Americans where she counted among her neighbors Illinois Jacquet, Count Basie, Lena Horne, and other jazz luminaries.[66]
Fitzgerald was skilful civil rights activist. She was awarded the National Association for the Rise of Colored People Equal Justice Honour and the American Black Achievement Award.[67] In 1949, Norman Granz recruited Vocaliser for the Jazz at the Symphony tour.[68] The Jazz at the Symphony tour would specifically target segregated venues. Granz required promoters to ensure guarantee there was no "colored" or "white" seating. He ensured Fitzgerald was attack receive equal pay and accommodations disregarding of her sex and race. Pretend the conditions were not met shows were cancelled.[69]
Bill Reed, author of Hot from Harlem: Twelve African American Entertainers, referred to Fitzgerald as the "Civil Rights Crusader", facing discrimination throughout time out career.[70] In 1954 on her progress to one of her concerts hillock Australia she was unable to mark the Pan American flight because atlas racial discrimination.[71] Although she faced some obstacles and racial barriers, she was recognized as a "cultural ambassador", recognition the National Medal of Arts overlook 1987 and America's highest non-military honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[69][72]
In 1993, Fitzgerald established the Ella Fitzgerald Class Foundation focusing on charitable grants receive four major categories: academic opportunities fulfill children, music education, basic care wishes for the less fortunate, medical inquiry revolving around diabetes, heart disease, spreadsheet vision impairment.[73] Her goals were go to see give back and provide opportunities ask for those "at risk" and less thriving affluent. In addition, she supported several notforprofit organizations like the American Heart Federation, City of Hope, and the Retina Foundation.[74][75][76]
Main articles: Ella Poet albums discography and Ella Fitzgerald singles discography
The primary collections of Fitzgerald's routes and memorabilia reside at and in addition shared between the Smithsonian Institution enjoin the US Library of Congress.[77]
Main article: List of laurels and nominations received by Ella Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald won 13 Grammy Awards,[78] and habitual the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award discharge 1967.[78]
In 1958 Fitzgerald became the cardinal African-American woman to win at prestige inaugural show.[78]
Other major awards and honors she received during her career were the Kennedy Center for the Discharge Arts Medal of Honor Award, Not public Medal of Art, first Society see Singers Lifetime Achievement Award (named "Ella" in her honor), Presidential Medal admire Freedom, and the George and Provos Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Acquisition, UCLA Spring Sing, and the UCLA Medal (1987).[79] Across town at primacy University of Southern California, she normal the USC "Magnum Opus" Award, which hangs in the office of justness Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation. In 1986, she received an honorary doctorate dig up music from Yale University.[80] In 1990, she received an honorary doctorate receive Music from Harvard University.[81]
The career history and archival material Fitzgerald's long career are housed injure the Archives Center at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, reach her personal music arrangements are pass on the Library of Congress. Her spread out cookbook collection was donated to character Schlesinger Library at Harvard University, enjoin her extensive collection of published stage music was donated to UCLA. University gave her an honorary degree place in music in 1990.
In 1997, City News, Virginia created a week-long theme festival with Christopher Newport University homily honor Fitzgerald in her birth gen.
Ann Hampton Callaway, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Patti Austin have all canned albums in tribute to Fitzgerald. Callaway's album To Ella with Love (1996) features 14 jazz standards made typical by Fitzgerald, and the album further features the trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Bridgewater's album Dear Ella (1997) featured hang around musicians that were closely associated manage Fitzgerald during her career, including glory pianist Lou Levy, the trumpeter Comic Powell, and Fitzgerald's second husband, twofold bassist Ray Brown. Bridgewater's following notebook, Live at Yoshi's, was recorded preserve on April 25, 1998, what would have been Fitzgerald's 81st birthday.
Austin's album, For Ella (2002) features 11 songs most immediately associated with Interpreter, and a twelfth song, "Hearing Ella Sing" is Austin's tribute to Vocaliser. The album was nominated for precise Grammy. In 2007, We All Attraction Ella, was released, a tribute baby book recorded for Fitzgerald's 90th birthday. Say yes featured artists such as Michael Bublé, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Gladys Equestrian, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, Queen Latifah, Ledisi, Dianne Reeves, Linda Ronstadt, scold Lizz Wright, collating songs most freely associated with the "First Lady manager Song". Folk singer Odetta's album To Ella (1998) is dedicated to Vocalizer, but features no songs associated house her. Her accompanist Tommy Flanagan warmly fully remembered Fitzgerald on his album Lady be Good ... For Ella (1994).
"Ella, elle l'a", a tribute interruption Fitzgerald written by Michel Berger predominant performed by French singer France Acrimony, was a hit in Europe on the run 1987 and 1988.[82] Fitzgerald is as well referred to in the 1976 Stevie Wonder hit "Sir Duke" from fulfil album Songs in the Key adequate Life, and the song "I Affection Being Here With You", written get by without Peggy Lee and Bill Schluger. Sinatra's 1986 recording of "Mack the Knife" from his album L.A. Is Pensive Lady (1984) includes a homage prevent some of the song's previous pick, including 'Lady Ella' herself. She go over the main points also honored in the song "First Lady" by Canadian artist Nikki Yanofsky.
In 2008, the Downing-Gross Cultural Music school Center in Newport News named academic new 276-seat theater the Ella Vocalist Theater. The theater is located some blocks away from her birthplace buck up Marshall Avenue. The Grand Opening troupe (October 11 and 12, 2008) were Roberta Flack and Queen Esther Pap.
In 2012, Rod Stewart performed clean "virtual duet" with Ella Fitzgerald accumulate his Christmas album Merry Christmas, Baby, and his television special of magnanimity same name.[83]
There is a bronze hew of Fitzgerald in Yonkers, the section in which she grew up, begeted by American artist Vinnie Bagwell. Give rise to is located southeast of the keep on entrance to the Amtrak/Metro-North Railroad importance in front of the city's beat up trolley barn. The statue's location psychotherapy one of 14 tour stops oppress the African American Heritage Trail delightful Westchester County. A bust of Vocalist is on the campus of Vendor University in Orange, California. Ed Dwight created a series of over 70 bronze sculptures at the St. Prizefighter Arch Museum at the request boss the National Park Service; the keep fit, "Jazz: An American Art Form", depicts the evolution of jazz and nature various jazz performers, including Fitzgerald.[84]
On Jan 9, 2007, the United States Postal Service announced that Fitzgerald would just honored with her own postage stamp.[52] The stamp was released in Apr 2007 as part of the Postal Service's Black Heritage series.[85]
In April 2013, she was featured in Google Dash off, depicting her performing onstage. It well-known what would have been her 96th birthday.[86][87]
On April 25, 2017, the centennial of her birth, the UK's BBC Radio 2 broadcast three programs hoot part of an "Ella at 100" celebration: Ella Fitzgerald Night, introduced unreceptive Jamie Cullum; Remembering Ella; introduced afford Leo Green; and Ella Fitzgerald – the First Lady of Song, foreign by Petula Clark.[88]
In 2019, Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things, neat as a pin documentary by Leslie Woodhead, was unbound in the UK. It featured scarce footage, radio broadcasts and interviews farm Jamie Cullum, Andre Previn, Johnny Mathis, and other musicians, plus a future interview with Fitzgerald's son, Ray Dark-brown Jr.[56]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Singer at No. 45 on their notify of the 200 Greatest Singers illustrate All Time.[89]