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In the late '60s, young people were listening to soul music — so Fitzgerald started incorporating soul idioms into her concerts. One particular performance in 1968 shows how much she learned from it.
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Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife is master class in why Fitzgerald is such a legend. Jazz Night In America breaks down the grace under pressure and improvisational skills on display in this performance.
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Ella Fitzgerald's talent for vocal improvisation made her one of the most important singers of all time. Watch Jazzmeia Horn explain what scat singing is and demonstrate Fitzgerald's trademark skill.
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"I know I'm no glamour girl," Fitzgerald reportedly once said. But generations of fans inspired by her elegant style over the years, including writer Holly Gleason, beg to differ.
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Critics, scholars and fans are often caught up in the idea of an ideal black sound, using vocal tone to measure racial identity. What becomes of the black female singer who defies this categorization?
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In the 1970s, Fitzgerald became the face (and glass-shattering voice) of Memorex tapes. It fueled a career revival that extended her relevance and positioned her to pass the torch to a new generation.
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Listen to a selection of marvelous music from the First Lady of Song, plus music by artists who have felt her influence.
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The famous contralto made a practice of amplifying black artists, especially black women artists, as seen through her collaborations with composer Florence B. Price.
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Anderson was an early inspiration for scholar Shana Redmond, who explores the places she still feels the diva's presence: an inscrutable photo, a scrap of silent film, a concert borne on her legacy.
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The coat Anderson wore at her iconic 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance connects her with a legacy of black women performers, from Bessie Smith to Beyoncé, who have used fur to send a message.