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| No. 323: "Ella" by Tom Wills, February 2016 |
This drawing was produced to fill a wall space being vacated by a large drawing of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., done in 2010 and sold just this year. Read about it here: http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2010/10/40-broken-pencils.html
Because the "Rat Pack" drawing had long occupied a significant space in my music and art studio, I put much thought into its suitable replacement.
The drawing was difficult, taking three weeks, mostly laboring over her hair and mink. The handbag and the magazines needed refinement at the very end. The frame is solid furniture oak, old, with a double mat just perfect for this image.
She looks as good as she still sounds.
Excerpts from her official biography, other sources -- and a little bit of me:
Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald 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 more than 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.
http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/
Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. They were rich and poor, made up of all races, all religions and all nationalities.
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Va. on April 25, 1917. A tumultuous childhood had her in -- and escaping from -- reform school by age 15.
In 1934 Ella's name was pulled in a weekly drawing at the Apollo and she won the opportunity to compete in Amateur Night. "Once up there, I felt the acceptance and love from my audience," Ella said. "I knew I wanted to sing before people the rest of my life."
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http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/
Shortly afterward, Ella began singing a rendition of the song, "(If You Can't Sing It) You Have to Swing It." During this time, the era of big swing bands was shifting, and the focus was turning more toward bebop. Ella played with the new style, often using her voice to take on the role of another horn in the band. "You Have to Swing It" was one of the first times she began experimenting with scat singing, and her improvisation and vocalization thrilled fans.
In 1938, at 21, Ella recorded a playful version of the nursery rhyme, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket." The record sold 1 million copies, hit No. 1, and stayed on the pop charts for 17 weeks. Suddenly, Ella Fitzgerald was famous.
Things really took off in 1946 with producer and manager Norman Granz on the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" tour. Granz created Verve Records around Ella in part for the purpose of a new series of recordings. She joined the Philharmonic tour, worked with Louis Armstrong on several albums and began producing her infamous songbook series.
She received support from numerous celebrity fans, including a zealous Marilyn Monroe.
"I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt," Ella later said. "It was because of her that I played the Mocambo, a very popular nightclub in the '50s. She personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. ... The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again."
http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/
Granz founded Pablo Records in 1973, roughly a decade after he had sold Verve and other jazz labels to MGM. Pablo initially featured recordings by acts that Granz managed, including Ella.
"And yet it is true that as the years passed, Ella's skills gradually declined. ... Ella never studied singing, so she never learned how to preserve her vocal equipment. She had great talent, strength, and desire, so she sang as much as she could as long as she could--night after night, year after year, country after country. She held up longer than anybody else, but in the end her voice wore out."
http://www.pitt.edu/~atteberr/jazz/articles/ella.html
In September 1986, Ella underwent quintuple coronary bypass surgery. Doctors also replaced a valve in her heart and diagnosed her with diabetes, which they blamed for her failing eyesight. Despite protests by family and friends, Ella returned to the stage and pushed on with an exhaustive schedule.
By the 1990s, Ella had recorded more than 200 albums. In 1991, she gave her final concert at New York's renowned Carnegie Hall. It was the 26th time she performed there.
As the effects from her diabetes worsened, 76-year-old Ella experienced severe circulatory problems and on June 15, 1996, died in her Beverly Hills home. A wreath of white flowers stood next to her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a marquee outside the Hollywood Bowl theater read, "Ella, we will miss you."
Please note:
The photos, images and records are property of Tom Wills, as are the blog introduction and explanation of the drawing process.
The biographical information is from these sources, which offer even greater details about Ella Fitzgerald's career and personal life:
