美国名人 歌手 演员 艾拉·费兹杰拉.docx

美国名人歌手演员艾拉费兹杰拉日IaFitzgeraldz1917-1996:America'sFirst1.adyofSongplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-14:59repeatByNancySteinbach2010-7-3Photo:americaslibrary.orgCriticssaythebestsongbookisEllasingingthesongsofGeorgeandIraGershwin.IraGershwinreportedlysaid:"IneverknewhowgoodoursongswereuntilIheardEllaFitzgeraldsingthem."SARAH1.ONG:Now,theVOASpecialEnglishprogramPEOP1.EINAMERICA.Today,ShirleyGriffithandSteveEmbertellaboutthejazzsinger,EllaFitzgerald.ShewasknownasAmerica'sfirstladyofsong.(MUSIC:"HowHighTheMoon")SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:Theyearwasnineteenthirty-three.TheplacewasNewYorkCity.EllaFitzgeraldwassixteenyearsold.ShehadenteredacompetitionattheApolloTheaterinHarlem.Shewasgoingtodance.Butshehadjustwatchedtwodancersperform.Theywerebetterdancersthanshe.So,insteadofdancing,shesangasongcalled"Judy."Peoplewatchingthecompetitionurgedhertosinganothersong.Shedid.Shewonfirstprize-twenty-fivedollars.ThatcompetitionattheApolloTheaterchangedEllaFitzgerald'slifeforever.BandleaderChickWebbwaswatchingthecompetition.HehiredEllatosingwithhisband.Hetaughtheraboutsinginginpublic.Heevenshowedherwhatkindofclothestowear.Inthreeyears,shehadherfirsthitrecord,"A-Tisket-a-Tasket":(MUSIC)STEVEEMBER:EllaFitzgeraldwasborninthesoutherncityofNewportNews,Virginiainnineteenseventeen.Herfatherleftsoonafterherbirth.HermothertookEllaandmovedtoNewYorkCity.Ella'smotherdiedwhenEllawasfifteenyearsold.Thenextyear,EllastartedsingingwithChickWebb'sband.ShestayedwithChickWebbuntilhediedinnineteenthirty-nine.EllakepthisbandtogetherafterhedieduntilWorldWarTwostarted.Thenmostofthebandmembersjoinedthearmedforces.Whileshewaswiththeband,Ellarecordedalmostonehundredfiftysongs.EllaFitzgeraldperformedinconcertsaroundtheworldandbecamepopularinternationally.SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:EllaFitzgeraldwasgreatlyinfluencedbytheexperimentalmusicofCharlieParkerandDizzyGillespie.Itwascalledbe-bop.Sheusedbe-boprhythmsinhersinging.Innineteenforty-five,sherecordedthesong"FlyingHome/'usingthebe-bopmethodknownas"scat".Inscat,thesinger'svoicesoundslikeanotherinstrumentintheorchestra.Criticssayitwasthemostinfluentialjazzrecordofthetime.(MUSIC)STEVEEMBER:Innineteenforty-nine,jazzmusicianNormanGranzinvitedhertojoinhisband.ItwaswithhisbandinBerlin,GermanyinnineteensixtythatEllasangafamoussonginaverydifferentway.Amanaskedherifsheknewthesong"MacktheKnife."Ellasaidshehadhearditafewtimesbutthebanddidnothavethemusicforit.Shesaidshewouldtrytosingitanyway.Thisrecordingshowshowshecontinuedtosing"MacktheKnife"whenshedidnotrememberthewords.Thepeoplelisteninglovedit.(MUSIC)SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:NormanGranzlaterbecamehermanager.Hestartedanewrecordingcompanyjustforher.ItwashisideaforEllatorecordthenowfamousseriesofrecordalbumscalledthe"Songbooks."Oneachrecord,shesangworksofadifferentsongwriter.SherecordedsongbooksofthemusicofColePorteIrvingBerlin,DukeEllingtonzJeromeKern,JohnnyMercerandHaroldArlen.CriticssaythebestsongbookisEllasingingthesongsofGeorgeandIraGershwin.IraGershwinreportedlysaid:"IneverknewhowgoodoursongswereuntilIheardEllaFitzgeraldsingthem.Here,shesingstheGershwinsong,"IGotRhythm":(MUSIC)STEVEEMBER:EllaFitzgeraldalsoappearedinmoviesandontelevision.Shebecamepopularinternationally.Sheperformedinconcertsaroundtheworldsometimesfortyweeksayear.Shealsorecordedfordifferentrecordcompanies.Inthenineteensixties,shebegantosingmoremodernsongssuchasthosewrittenbytheBeatlesandBurtBacharach.Butshewasnotverysuccessfulwiththatkindofpopularmusic.ShereturnedtojazzinNineteenseventy-three,againwithNormanGranz.Shealsobeganperformingwithsymphonyorchestras.virginia.eduShealsoappearedinmoviesandontelevision.SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:EllaFitzgeraldwasmarriedtwotimes.Bothmarriagesendedindivorce.Sheraisedthreechildrenwhowerenotherown.EllalivedquietlyinBeverlyHills,California.Throughoutherlifeshewasaveryprivateperson.Shewantedtobeknownonlyforhermusic.HerfriendsincludedmembersoftheDukeEllingtonband,CountBasie'sband,andsingerslikeSarahVaughnandPeggy1.ee.EllaFitzgeraldbegantohavehealthproblemsduringthenineteenseventies.Shehadthediseasediabeteswhichcausedproblemswithhereyes.Shehadaheartoperationinnineteeneighty-six.Innineteenninety-three,theeffectsofdiabetesledtooperationstoremovebothherlegs.ShediedJunefifteenth,nineteenninety-six.STEVEEMBER:PeoplearoundtheworldlovedEllaFitzgerald'sjoyfulsinging.CriticssaidshehadraisedtheAmericanpopularsongtothelevelofart.Shewonmanyawards.ShereceivedtheNationalMedaloftheArtsandaKennedyCenterHonorforlifetimework.TheUniversityofMarylandnamedaperformingartscenterforher.EllaFitzgerald'swonderfulvoicelivesoninhertwohundredfiftyalbums.ShewonthirteenGrammyawardsgiveneachyearforthebestrecordings.HerlastGrammywasforthenineteenninetyrecord:"AllThatJazz":(MUSIC)SARAH1.ONG:ThisSpecialEnglishprogramwaswrittenbyNancySteinbach.TheannouncerswereShirleyGriffithandSteveEmber.mSarah1.ong.1.istenagainnextweekforanotherPEOP1.EINAMERICAprogramontheVoiceofAmerica.