Did You Know? 5 Ella Fitzgerald Facts
- Ella married twice, though there is evidence that she may have married a third time. In 1941 she married Benny Kornegay, a convicted drug dealer and hustler. That marriage lasted only 2 years.
- Her first ever performance was at one of the very first Amateur Nights at the Apollo Theater in 1934. She sang two songs and went home with the top prize of $25.
- As a youth, Ella worked to contribute money to the family’s finances, often doing odd little jobs here and there. One she held for quite some time was as a runner for local gamblers, picking up their bets and dropping off money to the bookies.
- After her mother passed from injuries sustained from a car accident, and then shortly thereafter her stepfather Joe DaSilva passed, Ella became “troubled” and was picked up by police and sent to a reform school. She had been beaten by her caretakers, and escaped at the age of 15.
- Speaking of Marilyn Monroe, who demanded that Ella play at the Mocambo (which had never hired an African American performer until then), Ella said, “She was an unusual woman - a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.”
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5 opinions for Did You Know? 5 Ella Fitzgerald Facts
marissa
Apr 29, 2008 at 9:56 am
cant belive she was married 2 times
Claudia
May 12, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Great post, Lara, she was the BEST! Unfortunately, many young female singers were taken advantage of in their careers–I’m thinking of Billie Holliday and Morgana King in the day. Their husband-managers treated them like cattle. It’s sad that we still see this today–Tina Turner, for instance.
Lara
May 12, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Thanks, Claudia - I agree, it’s very unfortunate, even Janet Jackson ran into trouble with her first marriage and her career. Thank God Tina got out of it when she did, or we might not have her with us today.
Ella was a queen, though. She was truly deserving of all the best, worked hard her whole life. And you know, they say that often the most talented people in the world come from “bad” childhoods or backgrounds. It seems Ella was no different.
Nicole
Jan 23, 2009 at 8:04 am
Lara, this was fabulous. For my english class we have to write a paper on a famous african-american. I chose to write about ella. This was really helpful to me in my research. Thanks!!!!
amanda
Mar 16, 2009 at 10:27 pm
what are any problems ella faced anywayz i have a project abt her anyone have a answer??
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