Ella Fitzgerald

Jazz Singer

Ella Fitzgerald, singing with the Chick Webb Band, had her first hit record in 1938 with "A-Tisket, A-Tasket." In 1942 she began a solo career that included appearances in the movies, as well as a string of popular recordings with the great players of jazz. Although principally a jazz singer, her effortless style and interpretations of songs by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Cole Porter (and others) made her one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century.