Profile of the Day: Ella Fitzgerald

Love listening to the sound of Jazz? On this day in 1917, Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia.

Image: Ella Fitzgerald / Library of Congress

From her earliest days as a small child, the Queen of Jazz was passionate about music and spent hours listening to Jazz records her mother brought home. After the death of her mother when she was 15, Ella was sent to live with her aunt in Harlem. She suffered many hardships during this time, including a time of homelessness. But it was her debut performance during Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater at the age of 17 that would change her life forever. After winning first prize for her performance, she met bandleader Chick Webb and joined his group as a singer. The event would mark the beginning of her path to stardom.

Over the course of her career, she dazzled the public with her impressive vocal range. She would go on to win 14 Grammy Awards and receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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View Ella Fitzgerald’s Geni Profile