Connecting the Backstory

I was first introduced to Ella Fitzgerald by my paternal great-aunt Cinderella, fondly known as Aunt Rella. Growing up, I believed my Aunt Rella to be one of the most elegant, refined and cultured people with whom I was acquainted. Her dresses were always more expensive and fancier than other women I knew. Often when she shopped for dresses, she bought one for my mom and sometimes for me. I always felt like royalty when she bought me a dress and loved looking at her and my mom together in their “twin” dresses. Even my aunt’s birth name, Cinderella, made me think of royalty. When she spoke, it wasn’t the normal stereotypical southern “drawl;” her words were well articulated and enunciated. I loved listening to her. Now that I think about her, I hear the intonations of Oprah and Maya Angelou; some thought of her as “proper,” but for me she was regal. In addition to her clothing and her speech, she carried herself in what I perceived to be a regal manner.

Meet My Real Life Cinderella a.k.a. Aunt Rella

Like Ella Fitzgerald, my aunt wasn’t born regal and elegant. They both came from very humble working class families. My aunt, like Ella, evolved into the woman I remember. Just as Ella was, my aunt also was a strong-willed woman. She was determined and wise having had experiences in the south and the north–in the country and in the city. Mirroring Ella Fitzgerald’s experiences, my Aunt Rella faced discrimination, inequality and unjust behavior. When I met her, she lived in Boston. She and my parents grew up in Brittons Neck, South Carolina, an unincorporated community that is approximately 30 miles from Myrtle Beach. It’s population is currently estimated at around 2,541. During those times, it was very much a farming community; it was once one of South Carolina’s largest tobacco and cotton producers. For history buffs who like a little trivia, Britton’s Neck was the South Carolina center of patriot sympathy during the American Revolution.

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Whereas Ella, as a teen was homeless; she was singing and dancing on the streets to earn money. Aunt Rella worked in the fields as a young person until migrating to the north where she worked at a dressmaker’s and later in housekeeping at a hospital. She worked hard and achieved many of her dreams. Eventually, she became a Black middle-class socialite. She and my Uncle Gonza Lee were involved in many activities like the Prince Hall Freemasonry’s Black Masons, the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, as well as belonged to other prestigious clubs that were welcoming to African Americans. During those times, Aunt Rella and Uncle Gonza Lee were the only Black socialites that I knew. Because of Aunt Rella and Uncle Gonza Lee, I rode in my first parade, attended my first theatrical performance, received my number one Christmas toy every year.

Aunt Rella Inspires Jazz

Although it is true that I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, I must admit that during my high school years, I became infatuated with Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Club and for a brief moment wanted to become a playboy bunny, I spent late hours on the weekends watching Playboy After Dark on television; the show fascinated me. It gave viewers a glimpse of parties at Hefner’s place and always had Playmates/Bunnies, celebrities and music. The celebrities would talk and often performed. I loved the interracial interaction, like the world that Ella finally began to play for. My aunt and uncle frequented the Club where they could enjoy all styles of music, including jazz. Among the musicians who played at the Club and parties were Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman and other jazz greats. As you are aware, in Aunt Rella’s home, music was always a welcomed treat. I was intrigued that she and my uncle were able to socialize with the rich and famous; so intrigued, that of all the gifts I could have asked for, I asked to go to Boston’s Playboy Club for my graduation gift. They kept asking if I was sure if that was what I wanted; I didn’t waiver. So that summer, I got to dress up and spend the evening with the rich and famous, listening to live music while eating dinner. Aunt Rella died in 2007, but I will never forget the experiences she provided provided me and the legacy she left for me. I have so many unforgettable memories.

Everybody wants to know about my style and how it came about. It’s no big secret. It’s the way I feel.

Ella Fitzgerald

The Books

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Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.

Ella Fitzgerald

Little People, BIG DREAMS has a series of board books and included in the collection is a book called Ella Fitzgerald. The book is a biography written by Isabel Sánchez Vegara and Illustrated by Bàrbara Alca. Not only do I love the way the book is written, the illustrations are great. The book takes us, the readers through her younger years as little Ella to the realization of her dream to sing on big stages. The story speaks to emotions through the narration of tragedy, dreams, rebellion, maltreatment, and passions…from death, to isolation to realization of dreams. It shares how Ella’s passions became her dream and how with hard work, persistence and resilience, she was able to make her dreams come true. I especially like how her many setbacks and experiences, many of which are similar to those we teach, didn’t result in her giving up on her dreams. In fact, at the end of the book, a brief biographical summary is presented. The summary notes how difficult it is to adjust to losing a parent, of being relocated, of living in a place that may not have compassion for or understanding of you and your situation, whether reform school, foster home, another family member’s home.

New Friendships Helped Break the Racial Barrier

In contrast to Isabel Sánchez Vegara’s Ella Fitzgerald which tells the story of how little Ella came to be the “The First Lady of Song,” Ella Queen of Jazz by Helen Hancocks shares the struggles Ella had once she began singing and touring. It is about acceptance, disappointment, discouragement, friendship, prejudice, adversity, and destiny. When Ella couldn’t play before white audiences the because of color, it was the movie star and fan, Marilyn Monroe, who was lobbied the owner of a major night club to book Ella to perform. Many of the places she lobbied were places that did not allow Blacks, as patrons or performers; Marilyn spent countless hours calling around and promoting Ella’s spectacular talent of singing. Marilyn Monroe used her fame, influence and a promise to sit in front at the performance every night as a paparazzi attraction to persuade organizers to invite Ella and her orchestra to play at the largest joint in town. To show her appreciation to Marilyn Monroe, at one of the performances, Ella dedicated a song to Marilyn. The week-long performances were huge successes, bringing in larger crowds each night. The success and Ella’s popularity catapulted her into the limelight and to many other once restricted venues. From that moment on, Marilyn and Ella became friends and like my mom and Aunt Rella remained close friends, being there for each other in need and in celebrations. Ella even helped Marilyn to become a great singer in her own films, which led to Marilyn singing for the president. Ella became the First Lady of Song – The Queen of Jazz. In her 50-year music career, she recorded over 2000 songs and was the first African American to win a Grammy, adding 12 more to her collection.

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In addition to sharing her life struggles and successes, the books share her love of music styles and how she developed her style of music. It also shares the influences that she had on music, that music had on her and on the way it made her listeners feel. The biography gives a good rationale as to how she received her nicknames: “The Queen of Jazz,” “The First Lady of Song,” “Lady of Jazz,” and “Lady Ella.”

Vegara’s book also illustrates how we seldom reach our dreams alone; often we are given a hand…an open window…a door to opportunities. Once that hand is extended or that door or window opened, it is up to us as individuals to make it continue to happen. It all begins with dreams and as Ella was famous for saying, “It isn’t where you come from, it’s where you’re going that counts.” Her persistence, resilience and courage was undeniable.

After a devastating loss of her mother when Ella was 15, she was sent to live with an aunt; when that didn’t work out, she was sent to a reform school to be disciplined. Abused at the reform school, she ran away and became homeless at the age of 17; to survive, she began dancing and singing on the street to earn coins. While homeless, she won her first award ($10) by performing her jazz version of the nursery rhyme, A-Tisket, A-Tasket, at the ‘Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater:

“A-Tisket A-Tasket
A green and yellow basket
I bought a basket for my mommie
On the way I dropped it
I dropped it, I dropped it
Yes on the way I dropped it
A little girlie picked it up
And took it to the market
She was truckin’ on down the
Avenue without a single thing to do
She was peck, peck, peckin’ all around
When she spied it on the ground
A-Tisket A-Tasket
She took my yellow basket
And if she doesn’t bring it back
I think that I shall die
(Was it red?)
No, no, no, no
(Was it brown?)
No, no, no, no
(Was it blue)
No, no, no, no
Just a little yellow basket,,,”

A-Tisket, A-Tasket lyrics © First Digital Music, Emi Robbins Catalog Inc.

Fulfilling the Dream

“Where you go that counts.” Ella went on to sing for bands, becoming a band leader with her own band and finally performed as a solo act. In her 50 year music career she recorded over 2000 songs, over 200 albums, appeared on television shows and theater performances; Fitzgerald won 13 GRAMMYs with her first career GRAMMYs at the 1st inaugural GRAMMY Awards: Best Female Vocal Performance and Best Individual Jazz Vocal Performance, and broke some color barriers,

Connecting My Backstory

My Aunt Rella was not a singer, but she and the Queen of Jazz had many similar experiences and characteristics, as well as dreams and accomplishments. Truth be told, I always thought Aunt Rella resembled, Ella. Unfortunately, the only picture I have of Aunt Rella is from her obituary.

My aunt, during her lifetime, won several awards of which we were proud. No, they will never be in the realm of Ella’s, but they recognized her journey to become who and what she became. Ella and my Aunt Rella both died at the age of 79; Aunt Rella was born 11 years after Ella Fitzgerald and died 11 years after Ella.

Engagement

• Compare the time of the Great Depression to today.
• Listen to an Ella and Chick Webb song (available on YouTube)
• Talk about the Grammy’s. Brainstorm a list of people who have won a Grammy. Share that Ella was the 1st African-American Woman to win a Grammy, adding 12 more to her collection throughout her lifetime,
• Have students come up with a list of descriptive that can describe Ella, her experiences and her life.
• Have students select an Ella Fitzgerald song and Create an album or CD cover.
• Create flyers for a show featuring Ella Fitzgerald.
• Look at Barbara Alca’s instagram page and discuss her illustrations.
  https://www.instagram.com/barbaraalca/ Create
• Have students share what friends can do for one another,
• Compare and contrast some graphic designs and illustrations.

Connections

• Recite the nursery rhyme “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” and then play the Ella Fitzgerald version of “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” Compare and contrast the two. Again, hoola hoops are great for Venn Diagrams. I also like using walls in the classrooms and post its, to compare and contrast.
• Put on a class or school Talent Show. Encourage students to perform individually, in pairs or as groups. Let them be creative! Invite an audience. Create and present awards. I recycled some donated trophies.
• Compare and contrast some graphic designs and illustrations.
• Ask the kids to interview someone who grew up during the same time of Ella Fitzgerald and faced discrimination.. Have students write and illustrate a picture book about the person. This can be done individually, as a pair, as a group or as a class, Utilize grandparents, nursing homes, and senior citizen centers.
• Depending on the age of the listeners, experience listening to music on different media may be limited. If you have any of Ella’s (or other artists;) recordings on 33, 45 and 78 rpm records, vinyl album, 8 -track tapes, cassettes, CDs, Apple itunes and/or Pandora. Share them.
• If physical or virtual visits to the Smithsonian Museum, National Jazz Museum in Harlem, National Museum of American History, and/or National Museum of African American History are not possible, consider sharing parts of collections via the internet or in person (if possible, as a class).
• Create a plan for what you would include in a museum exhibit that honors Ella Fitzgerald. Find pictures of the items and create a virtual exhibit.

Resources

• “A Tisket, A-Tasket” on YouTube:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjJry0vhHj4
• One of Ella Fitzerald’s appearances on Playboy After Dark
• The following museum sites showcase objects (photos, drawings, papers, clothing, music, etc.) related to Ella Fitgerald: https://www.si.edu/spotlight/ella-fitzgerald,
  https://americanhistory.si.edu/ella-fitzgerald-100 and
  http://jazzmuseuminharlem.org/today-in-jazz/happy-birthday-ella-fitzgerald/