Ella Granzgerald Biography Essay

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.

The “Roaring 20’s” changed Ella Fitzgerald’s lifestyle and her music by providing outstanding musicians, financial struggles, and popular music leading her to become one of the most prominent singers of all time. Though life provided numerous struggles she still managed to push through and complete her childhood dreams of becoming an entertainer. Fitzgerald’s voice developed through the style of music in the 20’s, eminent artists vocal structure and the emotion she channeled into her music due to her family’s financial issues. Overall Fitzgerald’s life during the 1920’s allowed her to develop into becoming a memorable artist.

The Harlem Renaissance was an African American cultural movement specifically in creative arts such as music and literature. Jazz represented the flavor and zest of African American culture in the 1920s-1940s. Billie Holiday had a great impact on the Harlem Renaissance because she was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She performed with other great jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Teddy Wilson, Jo Jones, and Henry Allen. Her career as a jazz singer was an incredible and thriving one, however, it was shortened because of her battle of substance abuse. Despite the drug use and the loss of her mother, the only thing she could turn to was her music. Billie Holiday's legacy will always live on when the discussion of the Harlem Renaissance is present.

The 1960s marked a period of social unrest and frustration over civil liberties for black Americans. The dominant figures of the Civil Rights movement were often male political and social leaders such as Malcolm X or Martin Luther King Jr. However, during this period music became an inseparable part of the Civil Rights movement. The civil rights and protest music had a remarkable influence on the freedom movements by spreading the political and social messages rooted in the movement. Consequently, musical artists also became dominant sources of leadership and influence. Nina Simone led an influential and successful life as a musical artist, especially during the civil rights movement. Her music fused genres of classical, soul, rhythm and blues, and jazz to create a completely unique, uncategorizable style of music. Her contralto voice and distinguished musical style made her easily recognizable and popular to a diverse, global audience during the 60s and 70s. Although Simone is often omitted from historical recounts of the civil rights movement, her songs are incredibly significant to the turbulent times as they promoted a sense of black pride and projected the frustration and anger over the oppression of black Americans, especially black women. Simone had dreams of becoming a classical pianist which were never reached. Despite these unobtained goals, Simone was able to become an eminent musical artist that always carried herself with the utmost honesty, dedication, and

As a young girl growing up in Yonkers, just outside New York City, Fitzgerald loved music and dreamed of being a dancer. She and a friend, Charles Gulliver,

Considered one of the greatest jazz composers of all time. Duke Ellington had an enormous impact on the popular music in the late 1920s. For almost fifty years he toured the world as a bandleader and piano player. Today his recordings are among the most popular jazz of the big-band era.

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.

She gained the ability and reputation to sing what she felt passionate about. She grew into a vocalist who made her own rules and had settled into her very own style. Over a century has gone by since the birth of the legendary jazz vocalist, Billie Holiday. Holiday faced never ending adversity on her journey, but stopped at nothing to gain stardom.

And her big hit performance was the “Shuffle Along” and with her star performances it helped make Shuffle Along, which is still considered the catalyst of the Harlem Renaissance by many cultural historians, the first successful all-black Broadway show in more than a decade. Also, making her the lead Jazz performer in every performance that was given to her, she made it work for herself. Florence basically left a mark in history from the Shuffle Along with she collaborated with her husband from The Tennessee Ten which was another amazing period for

I think Ragtime, Stride and Boogie Woogie Jazz all had an influence on modern day jazz. If I had to choose which one I think had a greater impact, it would be boogie woogie. It may be because I really like this kind of jazz.

Nps.gov states that some of the greatest musician in America History has come from the jazz side of the world. Artist such as Louis Armstrong, Billy Holiday and Jelly “Roll” Morton, pave the way for jazz to reach its height as it did in the early 20’s with the upbeat tempo and smooth classical sound. These artist brung a unique sound to jazz that was not there. Louis Armstrong contribute to jazz is so remarkable, he played the trumpet like no other. His sound was so soothing to the ears. When you think about jazz, Louis Armstrong is one of the first names most people relate to jazz. Jelly “Roll” Morton was probably the most influence artist there is. An innovative piano stylist and composer, began his odyssey outside of New Orleans as early as 1907. He continue his work throughout the 1920’s and was mainly consider the reason of the swing era.

1. Louis Armstrong is credited in the book titled Jazz as the “single most important figure in the development of jazz.” He is known as the only major figure in Western musical history to have a profound influence as a singer and an instrumentalist. His defining qualities as a performer were the emotion, beauty, and technical mastery he brought to each performance, and he knew how to please an audience. Performing jazz was a personal and powerful experience to him, and it was communicated effectively to his audience. Duke Ellington is quoted as calling him a “truly good and original man,” and his contributions to jazz music reflect that statement.

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

There are different types of experiences that Fitzgerald had throughout his life. Some experiences could be happy, exciting or some could be sad, disturbing. F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, MN (“F (rancis)”). He died on December 21, 1940, in Hollywood, CA (“F (rancis)”). Fitzgerald’s father’s name was Edward Fitzgerald, and his mother’s name was Mary (Mollie) McQuillan (Matthew). When Fitzgerald was a child, he did not get the chance to make childhood friends because his parents moved different places before he started his school. “Fitzgerald attended the Newman school in Hackensack, New Jersey and while he was in school; he continued to write for school publication” (“F (rancis)”). After he graduated high school, he attended Princeton University class of

Over time there have been many eras of music and many genres. One could say that the Classical music, or the Romantic era has been the most significant in music history. Although those times are very important to the music world, Jazz in the early 20th century is very significant to the history of music in the United States. Next is a little bit of history and what makes Jazz music Jazz.