Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996) was an American jazz singer celebrated for her pure tone, impeccable diction, and extraordinary improvisational skill. Born in Newport News, Virginia, and raised in Yonkers, New York, she rose to fame after winning an amateur night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 1934. Soon after, she became the vocalist for Chick Webb’s orchestra, scoring a major hit with “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938). Over a long career she recorded widely, including her landmark “Song Book” albums, and performed internationally. Fitzgerald won multiple Grammy Awards and received the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.