Tue, 17 Dec 2013

Ella Fitzgerald Was the Master of Scat Singing


Who does not know or at least have heard of Ella Fitzgerald. When one makes a list of best singers of all time, it will never be complete without jotting her name down. She is considered a quintessential jazz singer but if one would sum up her accomplishments, there is no better way to do so than by stating, "Ella Fitzgerald was the Master of Scat Singing."


Ella's Talent Discovered In New York


Ella Fitzgerald came into this world on April 25, 1918 in Newport News in the state of Virginia. But it was in Yonkers, New York where the talent of Miss Fitzgerald would first be noticed.

Ella was still a young lass when she and her mother Temperance, affectionately known as Tempie, moved to Yonkers where her Aunt Virginia lived. They settled in the home of Joseph Da Silva, Tempie's boyfriend of many years. Da Silva, however, was not Ella's father as her biological dad, William, and her mom separated shortly after she was born. Ella went to the Benjamin Franklin Junior High School where she joined the glee club.

Though Ella Fitzgerald was the Master of Scat Singing in her later life, she was the master of collecting autographs of different celebrities while she was in her teens. During this delicate stage in her life, Ella would go to Harlem by train along with some friends and wait outside known night spots for any celebrity to come by. They also sometimes went to the Apollo Theater to catch the shows.


Miss Fitzgerald Could Have Been The Master Of Dancing


Most people may know that Ella Fitzgerald was the Master of Scat Singing, but a few may be aware that she could very well have been the master of dancing, tap dancing to be precise. During one of their visits to the Apollo Theater, Ella won a draw lot where the winner would be allowed to perform and compete in the theater's Amateur Night.

She was planning on performing a tap dance but after seeing the Edwards Sisters close the main show with their famous dance routines, she froze on stage. While there, she heard mumbles wondering what she was going to perform. Of course, there were boos all around. Right then and there, Ella decided to sing.

She requested the house band to play the song "Judy", a Hoagy Carmichael classic that was so dear to her heart. The Connee Boswell version of the song was the favorite of her mother who passed away due to a vehicular accident two years before that fateful night. When she went to the Apollo Theater that night in 1934, she was a troubled teenager who lost her mother and her father figure Joe (to heart attack) and struggling with stage fright. After stepping off the stage, she was a star.


Ella Fitzgerald Popularized Scat Singing

Benny Carter, the arranger and saxophone player of the band, was so enthralled with Ella's voice and performance that he helped the youngster by introducing her to people in the industry.

She later popularized scat singing which is a vocal improvisation that didn't involve actual words. Instead, singers would belt out melodies using their voices. Her natural talents would win her numerous awards and citations and prove that Ella Fitzgerald was the Master of Scat Singing and The First Lady of Song.



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