Ella Sings Gershwin - Ella Fitzgerald

 

Looking For A Boy

Ella Sings Gershwin

Ella Fitzgerald

With Ellis Larkins at The Piano

With an assist by Duke Ellington and Jimmy McHugh

Decca Records DL 8378

1956

From the back cover: Her (Fitzgerald) story is one of America's great tales. Her parents were so poor that, when her mother and father died, young Ella was sent to an orphanage. In Newport News, Virginia, where she was born, she struggled through childhood, began making the rounds of amateur contest, and developed an act. She was singled out by the late Chick Webb. Webb discovered her, offered her a job with his band, and, aided by his wife, gave the girl a home. Webb also spent months patiently teaching her how to walk, how to develop poise and, most of all, how to make the most of her instinctively distinctive style.

The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem was the scene of Ella's first professional appearance. She clicked immediately. Her rise to the top was swift. It is said that she was offered $5,000 to join Benny Goodman's band, but Ella remained loyal to Chick Webb. She stayed with him until his untimely death in 1939.

As a solo performer and recording artist, Ella Fitzgerald occupies position in the world of music. She is also a composer – her great hit, "A-Tisket A-Tasket" is her own composition. "A-Tisket A Tasket," an adaptation of an old nursery rhyme, was the big novelty of 1938. Ella introduced it in the night clubs; it became her theme song and its echoes could be heard all over the country.

Today Ella's place is assured. Her recordings are sensational successes; she has thousands of fans and is the critics; darling. She has devoted much of her time to work for orphaned children, serving with such famous leaders as Clare Booth Luce and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. Her contributions to Swingdom are innumerable, and she has well earned the title of "First Lady Of Jazz." One of the handsomest tributes to Ella came from America's favorite singer, Bing Crosby himself, who said, "Man, woman, or child, Ella's the greatest!"

Someone To Watch Over Me

My One And Only (What Am I Gonna Do)

But Not For Me

Looking For A Boy

Nice Work IF You Can Get It

Oh, Lady Be Good

I've Got A Crush On You

How Long Has This Been Going On

Maybe

Soon

I'm Just A Lucky So And So

I Didn't Mean A Word I Said