[78-L] Young Ella

[David Lennick]

"In 1942....now signed to the Decca label.." .. so much for WackyPackia's 
credibility.

dl

On 10/12/2013 11:22 PM, Mark Bardenwerper wrote:
> I just came upon a copy of the 1951 Decca 10" 33 RPM album, "Ella Sings
> Gershwin." The notes on the back pertaining to her early years are thus,
> in part:
>
> "...Her parents were extremely poor and when they died, the very young
> Ela (sic) was sent to a New York orphanage. It was while Ella was in the
> orphanage that her talent for singing first became apparent. Life in
> such an institution scarcely agreed with her, and at sixteen she left
> the home.
> Once on her own, she began making the rounds of amateur night contests
> which were popular at that time. Developing an act of singing and
> dancing, she toured New York, going unsuccessfully from one contest to
> another. Finally she made an appearance at the Harlem Opera House. The
> entry card read; 'Ella Fitzgerald, Song And Dance.' With her gangling
> awkward appearance and unpolished voice, she made a very unfavorable
> impression, which was capped by a stage fright so terrific that her knee
> refused to obey her and she was unable to dance a step. The audience
> reacted as such an audience will, and the fateful gong sounded that
> might have been the final note of her swan song. However, it was not to
> be. Even as cold disappointment chilled Ella's dreams, a crack
> professional musician in the audience tensed with sudden excitement. It
> was the late, unforgotten Chick Webb, who had spotted the real thing
> under the surface amateurishness of the frightened young girl. Chick was
> greatly impressed with the potentialities that he alone was able to see
> in Ella and offered her a job with his band. He and Mrs. Webb also
> adopted the young orphan and gave her a real home. If she thought that
> at last she would be able to sing, she was disappointed, for Ella was
> not allowed to appear professionally for a long time to come.
> Chick patiently spent many, many months teaching her how to make the
> most of her voice, how to perfect her distinctive style, how to walk,
> and how to develop poise. He taught her all the tricks at his command,
> and she was an apt pupil. For two years she toured with the band and
> didn't sing in public once. Chick counselled (sic) her: 'Don't come up
> like a shooting star and drop just as fast. Take your time. Build.' Then
> the time came when he thought Ella was ready.
> His first move was to have her record with the band - and the records
> were all sensational sellers. The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem witness her
> first professional appearance, and she clicked..."
>
> This version of her career launch varies radically from the one in
> Whickopeedia.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Fitzgerald
>    Was she adopted? Did she earn $50 or did she flop? If not, I wonder
> how such a stretch of truth could have made an album note while she was
> in her prime and could have easily made certain it was factual.
>