Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia. She had a difficult childhood with her parents separating and Ella and her mother moving to Yonkers. There, she grew up on the streets. After her mother died she lived with her aunt and made a living on the streets. She entered a contest at Harlem Apollo Theater and sang the Hoagy Carmichael tune “Judy.” She won. She was able to play with Chick Webb in the Savoy Ballroom. Then Fitzgerald started recording. She got married to a bass player and adopted her sister’s child. She became the queen of jazz. She made a lot of music and san with many famous musicians like Louis Armstrong. Later in life, she got diabetes and had other related health problems. She went blind because of the disease and had to have her legs amputated. She died June 15, 1996 in Beverly Hills.