Ella Fitzgerald was one of the great singers of the century, and the most important practitioner of bebop and jazz scat singing. Her career, spanning seven decades, rested on an upbeat, joyful expressiveness and a nimble vocal quality that was unrivalled.
Fitzgerald was * born on , to a poor family in Virginia. Her childhood was difficult and after the death of both parents she was sent to live in an orphanage in New York. There she dreamed of singing...