Ella Fitzgerald's Accomplishments

Give light and people will find the way, Said Ella Baker. She was a woman, who even in the darkest hour, gave light to people everywhere. Being a Civil Rights activist in the 1930’s, she was one of the leading figures in the Civil Rights Movement. She dedicated her life to fighting for freedom and equality, and she deserves to be recognized worldwide.

Known as the “Empress Of Blues”, Bessie Smith was said to have revolutionized the vocal end of Blues Music. She showed a lot of pride as an independent African-American woman. Her style in performance and lyrics often reflected her lifestyle. Bessie Smith was one of the first female jazz artists, and she paved the way for many musicians who followed.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, of 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota (Coale 190). He was the only son of four children to his parents, Edward and Mollie

Aretha Louise Franklin also known as the Queen of Soul was born on March 25, 1942 in Memphis Tennessee. She is known for being a solo singer, and also a very talented pianist. Soul, R&B, Jazz, and Gospel are genres that she sings. Throughout her career she signed with Colombia Records and has released many popular singles that would now be considered classical. Aretha became the first female artist to be introduced into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. Up until this day Aretha is still alive living at age seventy two and has won many Grammy awards and considered one of the most honored artist.

Dorothy Dandridge may seem to be like a beautiful and strong African American woman on the outside, but on the inside she held in a lot of pain. Dorothy Dandridge is an actress, singer, and entertainer, who no longer walk this green Earth, but when she did, she made history. Dorothy was the first African American actress to achieve a leading-role status. Dorothy also had a deeply troubled life and racism didn’t make her life any easier especially when it came to achieving her dreams, but she got through it and during her time, the early 1930’s through the 1960’s, that was saying something. Racism was a lot worse then what it is now, but it made it harder for African Americans to achieve their goals, especially African American women. Dorothy was very worth looking up to now and when she was alive. Dorothy Dandridge is a contribution to African American history because she was the first African American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for best actress, how she fought all odds against her, mainly racism, and she made it possible to for other African American women to follow in her footsteps and look up to her as a role model.

When you hear the name Aretha Franklin what do you think? The woman of soul music, I hope! Not only did Aretha have a successful career, but she was able to maintain her personal life and accomplish what she wanted to. We are going to look at Aretha Franklin starting with her beginning and early career, the success from her career as one of the Queen’s of soul and her personal accomplishments. Let's take a look at Aretha Franklin’s beginning and early career.

| |24, 1862 in New York, New York. She came from an upper-class New York family and |

Ella Fitzgerald To some, Ella Fitzgerald had a hard life from the moment she was born. To others, Ella had it made. Ella Fitzgerald was born April 25th 1917 in Virginia. Soon afterwards, her parents separated and Ella followed her mother to Yonkers, New York.

Singer. Born April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. (Though many biographical sources give her birth date as 1918, her birth certificate and school records show her to have been born a year earlier.) Often referred to as the "first lady of song," Fitzgerald enjoyed a career that stretched over six decades. With her lucid intonation and a range of three octaves, she became the preeminent jazz singer of her generation, recording over 2,000 songs, selling over 40 million albums, and winning 13 Grammy Awards, including one in 1967 for Lifetime Achievement.

She was the starving musician, the jazz singer who did all she could to stay alive and still do what she loves. The dedication she displayed to jazz is not easy to explain. She was a perfectionist in her fashion, depending upon her excellent ear, unique voice and honesty and love for people to keep her love alive.

Unlike Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou devoted her life to inspiring African Americans to do whatever they wanted to do no matter what other people said. She also wanted to inspire people. Her poems Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise inspired not only the African American people, which is was intended to, but the whole world including men. Like Hughes, Maya Angelou did not think that one day she would be reading one of her poems at President Clinton 's inauguration. But she did think that she would inspire young African American writers that they too could become wonderful writers in a white society. Angelou is hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary black literature and as a remarkable Renaissance woman.

Billie Holiday, whose real name is Eleanora Gough, was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1915. She grew up mostly in Baltimore and always loved jazz. Billie was born to very young parents. Her mother was thirteen when she was born and her father just fifteen. (www.numberonestars.com, 2010)

Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, in New York City. She was raised by both of her parents until her father, Elliott Roosevelt, entered a

Crowned as "The Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin is one of the most honored female vocal artists of the last 50 years. She is an American soul singer, songwriter as well as a pianist. Her soulful, soaring voice has earned her mythic status over the years. It has been said that Aretha was a child prodigy of the golden age of gospel and was the anointed successor to gospel singers Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson. Many idolize her and her musical intelligence to this day. She is said to be one of the most quintessential sounds of America alongside The Beetles, The Stones, and Louis Armstrong.

Ella earned many awards throughout the many years she was a singer. She received her first Grammy in 1958, for best female vocal performance. Not only at that Grammys shows was she awarded her first grammy she also became the first African American female to win a award. Along with the many Grammy she won, she also sold over 40 millions copies. Over her lifetime she recorded over 200 albums and about 2,000 songs. She was also awarded the image award for lifetime achievement and the presidential medal of freedom and The Kennedy Center for performing arts medal of honor. One of the highest honors she received was from president Ronald Reagan, The National Medal of art and the first Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award which was later named after Ella. Most people do not know that Ella did not always want to