Fun Facts About Ella Fitzgerald
- Ella Fitzgerald went to the Apollo's Amateur Night in 1934 planning to dance, but a local dance duo intimidated her, so she sang instead and won first prize.[1]
- Marilyn Monroe lobbied the Mocambo nightclub in Hollywood to book Fitzgerald in 1955. Contrary to wide reports, Fitzgerald was not the first black performer to play there.[1][3][4]
- On the live album Ella in Berlin, Fitzgerald forgets the lyrics of "Mack the Knife" and improvises instead. That performance won a Grammy.[1]
- In a Memorex ad, Fitzgerald sang a note that shattered a glass, and the tape recording of it broke another glass, with the tagline "Is it live, or is it Memorex?"[1]
- As a teenager, Fitzgerald worked as a lookout at a bordello and with a Mafia-affiliated numbers runner, and she was sent to a state reformatory school.[1]
- Fitzgerald's hit version of the nursery rhyme "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" was a song she co-wrote, and it was one of the biggest-selling records of the decade.[1]
- Ella Fitzgerald was alive at the same time as Rafael Nadal — their lives overlapped for 10 years (1986–1996).[1][2][5][6]
- Ella Fitzgerald shares a birthday with Guglielmo Marconi: both were born on April 25.[1][2][7][8]
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, absolute pitch, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.[1]
Read more on Wikipedia →Contemporaries
Their World
Questions About Ella Fitzgerald
When was Ella Fitzgerald born?
Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, and died on June 15, 1996.
How old was Ella Fitzgerald at death?
Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, and died on June 15, 1996, at age 79.
What was Ella Fitzgerald known for?
Ella Fitzgerald was known for: First Lady of Song, jazz icon. Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, absolute pitch, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.
Who was alive at the same time as Ella Fitzgerald?
Ella Fitzgerald's closest contemporary was Bob Hope. Their lives overlapped for 79 years.
Sources
- Ella Fitzgerald — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ella Fitzgerald (Q1768) — Wikidata
- Marilyn Monroe — Wikipedia
- Marilyn Monroe (Q4616) — Wikidata
- Rafael Nadal — Wikipedia
- Rafael Nadal (Q10132) — Wikidata
- Guglielmo Marconi — Wikipedia
- Guglielmo Marconi (Q36488) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Ella Fitzgerald by Carl Van Vechten - American Flag (cropped).jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Carl Van Vechten, Public domain