Apr

Ella Fitzgerald: Breaking down racial barriers with her voice

As we celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month, the American Women’s History Initiative and the Smithsonian Year of Music, we can’t think of a single person who better deserves the honor of remembrance today. Happy birthday, Ella!

Fizgerald and Monroe chatting at nightclub

Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe at the Tiffany Club in Hollywood. Getty Images.

Dubbed “The First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald (April 15, 1917 – June 15, 1996) was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. She worked with all the jazz greats, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. (Or rather, some might say all the jazz greats had the pleasure of working with Ella). She performed at top venues all over the world, and packed them to the hilt. Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. They were rich and poor, made up of all races, all religions and all nationalities. In fact, many of them had just one binding factor in common—they all loved her.

Rebecca Kuske loves Ella, too, and her interest led her to dig a little deeper into the archives of the National Museum of American History:

In the Archives Center, jazz always seems to be a topic of discussion, whether it be a researcher looking for the Duke Ellington Collection or processing negatives for the Duncan P. Schiedt Photograph Collection. We are constantly pulling, researching, processing, and scanning different jazz-related sheet music, photos, correspondence, and other documents. All the jazz research compelled me to dig deeper into the life of my favorite jazz musician, Ella Fitzgerald.

Studio portrait of Fitzgerald with records

Ella Fitzgerald depicted on a postcard. The image is from 1948, and the photograph is by Bruno of Hollywood. Ella Fitzgerald Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Among the documents and photos in the Archives Center’s collection of Ella Fitzgerald Papers, I found fascinating primary sources pointing at Fitzgerald’s connections to the civil rights movement.

Ella Fitzgerald is and always will be remembered for her contributions to jazz and popular song. Her unique, velvety voice is one of the things that separated her from every other rising star of her time. Her voice made her legendary, elevating her to the ranks of jazz icons Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Over her long career, her voice took her to many different venues, cities, and countries. It even took her to places that many African Americans dared not go in the late 1950s and 1960s, an era of racial segregation. Her undeniable talent, however, allowed her to open doors not only for herself, but for the many African American performers who followed her.

In April 1954 Fitzgerald signed a contract making Norm Granz her sole manager. Granz was an avid civil rights activist who fought hard to ensure equality for the musicians he managed, and he did this by fighting to keep their shows free of discrimination.

Ella Fitzgerald signed this contract to make Norm Granz her manager. Ella Fitzgerald Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

In October 1955 Granz met with a ticket seller in Houston prior to a Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald performance with the concert tour called Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP). JATP was a series of concerts and recordings performed by some of the biggest jazz stars of the time and produced by Norman Granz. In Houston, he made sure to tell the ticket seller that this would be an integrated show, and, on October 7, he proceeded to take down the “Negro” and “White” labels from the bathroom doors. Houston had a history of being extremely conservative, so Granz’s attempt to integrate the show was not well-received. Once the first show came to its close, police stormed into Fitzgerald’s dressing room and arrested Fitzgerald, Gillespie, and other musicians. They were treated as criminals. And yet, once taken to the police station, Fitzgerald recalled still being asked by the police officer for her autograph.

This was not enough to stop Granz from continuing his mission. As Fitzgerald’s manager, he wanted to give her as much equal opportunity as possible, and, despite some setbacks, he was met with much success.

It was difficult for venues to deny Fitzgerald on the basis of race when her talent was loved by so many and she could draw huge crowds. Of her fans, one of the most prominent was singer, actress, and icon Marilyn Monroe. She was such a big fan of Fitzgerald that she used her connections to help advance Fitzgerald’s career and ultimately allow more people the opportunity to witness her performances.

Ella Fitzgerald signed this contract to be the first African American performer at Mocambo, a prestigious and well known club in West Hollywood. Ella Fitzgerald Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

In October 1957 Monroe made a call to the Mocambo nightclub in Los Angeles, on behalf of Fitzgerald. Monroe used her social status and popularity to make a deal with them. If they allowed Fitzgerald to perform, Monroe promised that she would take a front-row seat every night, and that is exactly what happened. Monroe’s presence in the front row, night after night, would create powerful publicity for the club—a deal they found attractive. As a result, Fitzgerald became the first African American to perform at Mocambo, and it gave her career a big boost.

Black and white photo of Fitzgerald smiling broadly

Ella Fitzgerald, November 1946. Photography by William P. Gottlieb.

During her life, Fitzgerald was awarded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Equal Justice Award and the American Black Achievement Award, as well as many other honors that celebrated her talents and accomplishments both in the jazz world and in the civil rights movement. Fitzgerald was seen as an inspiration. Her drive pushed her career forward, and by using her talent and help from her friends, colleagues, and manager, she was able to break down seemingly impossible barriers.

Want to learn more about the American experience through the transformative power of jazz? The museum’s Smithsonian Jazz team strongly recommends you check out their website to explore our jazz oral history collection, get tickets to performances by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month, and more. Or sign up to receive a monthly jazz e-newsletter from the museum for regular reminders.

This is an edited version of a post by former Archives Center intern Rebecca Kuske that was originally published by National Museum of American History’s blog O Say Can You See.