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She was born Ella Jane Fitzgerald on April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia. She loved listening to the recordings of Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby.

Ella  made her singing debut at seventeen on November 21, 1934 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. She was with Chick Webb's Orchestra through 1935, at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom.

Her recording career lasted fifty-seven years. She won thirteen Grammy Awards, and was awarded the National Medal of Art by Ronald Reagan and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H. W. Bush.Sr.

She died in Beverly Hills, California, June 15, 1996. She was 79.

Ella Fiztgerald may be the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th Century.

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MY MUSICAL LIFE
By Carl P. McConnell

Mabel McConnell talks about the Carter Family, Doc & Carl,
The Original Virginia Boys and the early days of radio.

Fowl Ball: An impressive flock of local and international showbirds gathered recently for an impromptu musical performance at the James D. Martin Wildlife Park in Gadsden, AL. You are cordially invited to watch.

Pioneer 60" Plasma HDTV

Apple 16 GB iPod Touch