About Ella Fitzgerald, GFW wrote:
Wait, why is she ranked as being eligible in 1981 while also having a song from 1938 in the "Essentials"?

Yes, she should be ranked as being eligible in 1960 : her first recording is from 1935 !

Posted by gorby on Friday, 10/4/2013 @ 05:11am

"A Tisket A Tasket" was actually a hit for the Chick Webb Orchestra and not Ella as a solo act. Ella sang on the record, but at the time was just a girl singer. Not all that uncommon since most of Billie Holiday's recordings at the time were also in front of a band with name recognition (Benny Goodman's first) She didn't really record solo singles in the 1930s. But followed Holiday's solo career path pretty early on. Holiday kind of became the model for that, and Ella's popularity led to it being commonplace for everybody (and some would say the death of Big Bands and the rise of the singer).

Posted by Chris F. on Friday, 10/4/2013 @ 08:20am

At least induct her as an early influence!

Posted by BulmaPunkRocker on Sunday, 07/6/2014 @ 23:50pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ella_Fitzgerald_awards.

******ELLA FITZGERALD******

"America's First Lady Of Song"

"Brenda Lee, Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, Etta James, Ruth Brown, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith, LaVern Baker and Ma Rainey are all in!!

When is Ella Fitzgerald getting in?"

Posted by Toots


Ella SHOULD be inducted as an Early Influence. Her "influence" factor is through the ROOF !! Her style of "scat singing " has influenced everyone From Basia and Mel Torme to Natalie Cole and The Intruders !!
..Also the lady has won every major music industry award that exists,including an astounding 13 GRAMMY AWARDS and numerous Presidential Citations...and has had numerous tribute albums to her and her music by other artists. She was also one of the few female bandleaders of the Big Band Era.Heck, The United States Postal Service has even issued an Ella Fitzgerald Stamp !! No less than SIX of her recordings are in THE GRAMMY HALL OF FAME .VERY FEW ARTISTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAVE , OR WILL EVER , COME CLOSE to Ella's influence !! For a detailed list of the incredibly long lists of awards this groundbraking lady has won, check out the above website: One look, and you'll be SHOCKED that she hasn't been inducted ALREADY !!! A Kennedy Center Honoree , and a member of the Jazz Hall Of Fame and and ASCAP Award honoree...I DARE ANYONE to say she isn't worthy of induction !!!

..Also the lady has won every major music industry award that exists,including an astounding 13 GRAMMY AWARDS and numerous Presidential Citations...and has had numerous tribute albums to her and her music by other artists. She was also one of the few female bandleaders of the Big Band Era.Heck, The United States Postal Service has even issued an Ella Fitzgerald Stamp !! No less than SIX of her recordings are in THE GRAMMY HALL OF FAME .VERY FEW ARTISTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAVE , OR WILL EVER , COME CLOSE to Ella's influence !! One lookat her awards, and you'll be SHOCKED that she hasn't been inducted ALREADY !!! A Kennedy Center Honoree , and a member of the Jazz Hall Of Fame and and ASCAP Award honoree...I DARE ANYONE to say she isn't worthy of induction !!!

Posted by Bill G on Thursday, 07/6/2017 @ 17:31pm

She isn't worthy of induction!!

What? You dared someone to say it.... you didn't dare anyone to say it and actually believe it.

If we can get Ella and Sister Rosetta inducted in the same year, that'd be epic. That'd be the highlight of that year's class, even if the rest of the class included The Moody Blues, Kraftwerk, the Cure, the Smiths, Chic, and Janet Jackson.

Posted by Philip on Thursday, 07/6/2017 @ 23:05pm

Who else besides REO even used scats?

Posted by Zuzu on Thursday, 10/18/2018 @ 19:19pm

"Who else besides REO even used scats?"

Mel Torme, Natalie Cole, The Intruders,Cab Calloway, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen Mc Rae, Louis Prima,George Benson, Roger Miller, Al Jarreau,
Louie Armstrong ,Dion, and a host of others....including several Rap artists.

Posted by Bill G. on Thursday, 10/18/2018 @ 23:07pm

Bill,

Would you say the rhythmic background nonsense syllables in doo-wop would be scatting, a slower more structured form? Or a cousin to it, even? Just curious on your take.

Posted by Philip on Friday, 10/19/2018 @ 00:05am

"Bill,

Would you say the rhythmic background nonsense syllables in doo-wop would be scatting, a slower more structured form? Or a cousin to it, even? Just curious on your take."

Posted by Philip
They may be loosely related, but I've never actually heard of it being described that way .

Here are some examples of scat singing:

ELLA :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbL9vr4Q2LU

MEL TORME (A TRIBUTE TO ELLA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vZlyfa28iQ

MEL and ELLA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CbVy1NnB4g

Posted by Bill G. on Friday, 10/19/2018 @ 01:03am

Yeah, I've got an anthology on Ella, plus all her duets with Louis Jordan on Decca. I've got some Torme in my personal library, too, though it's mostly with the Mel-Tones. Still, I was more curious about whether or not you'd draw the line between scat jazz to jive or to doo-wop. Because jazz is such an unbridled animal sometimes, the usage of such syllables to carry or augment a song's rhythmic structure might be considered antithetical, but I would still argue that when you look at them through the broader picture frame of the way the world (including America) changed from Ella's early successes to post-WWII, plus the musicians' strike during the late 40's, which helped give us a lot of the vocal groups and give rise to jive, I think the connection can be made.

Posted by Philip on Friday, 10/19/2018 @ 01:35am

Here are more famous singers doing "Scat Singing". TWO of them are among YOUR FAVORITES !!

BASIA "DRUNK ON LOVE"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCC_WhEkcC4&list=PLUDFbvY5jb-VXFYKZn-F0ONliIWRipnGx&index=11

THE INTRUDERS singing Marvin Gaye's "JAN"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmt63WlyjMA

NATALIE COLE "MR. MELODY"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb2DIsiLAGY

DION "LOVERS WHO WANDER"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thNWwGGRMCk

BILLY STEWART "SUMMERTIME"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWxYx9mmr7U

LOUIS PRIMA "SING SING SING"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGM2HPM6BDc

Posted by Bill G. on Friday, 10/19/2018 @ 01:45am

Music is a field that builds on itself.
When artists hear another artist sing a song, or play an instrument, it INFLUENCES that artist to do something similar, usually because they love the tune or artist.Then , they add their OWN TWIST to it, which in turn, influences OTHERS. Some artists create entire GENRES of music (James Brown, The Miracles, etc) . but even THEY are influenced by what came before .
It could very well be that the various DOO-WOP vocal backgrounds actually DID come from SCAT.I know that DION & THE BELMONTS were certainly influenced by it !!!
That just might be a good subject to do some further research on .

Posted by Bill G. on Friday, 10/19/2018 @ 02:09am

Bill G. ,

Always speaking the truth!

Phillip,

While I have no business jumping in on this conversation I am going to anyway. Forgive me. I tend to view scat singing as the true birthplace of improvisational singing in all Popular Music. Specifically the structured harmony of Doo Wop, the bass line imitations in beat boxing, and the melismatic approach of the pop divas. Ella, in my opinion, was the finest user of the technique. Roughly 50 other important acts come to mind (Cab Calloway, Annie Ross, or the genius that is Anita O'Day), but Ella's use was unmatched. I always point to Gospel and early Country as 2 other important players in what would come with Rock'N'Roll. Look at Jimmie Rodgers yodels, or the runs and swoops of Mahalia Jackson. They all helped to create a perfect blend that led to all of the insane heights Rock wouldbtake vocals.

To me there are few things a vocalist can do that match the high wire act of scat singing. It takes a keen ear, superb musicianship, and a whole lot of guts. It is one of the key reasons why Ella stands as a top 5 vocalist in all genres. She really forged an extraordinary path as an artist.

Posted by Chris F. on Friday, 10/19/2018 @ 14:08pm

"
Bill G. ,

Always speaking the truth!

Phillip,

While I have no business jumping in on this conversation I am going to anyway. Forgive me. I tend to view scat singing as the true birthplace of improvisational singing in all Popular Music. Specifically the structured harmony of Doo Wop, the bass line imitations in beat boxing, and the melismatic approach of the pop divas. Ella, in my opinion, was the finest user of the technique. Roughly 50 other important acts come to mind (Cab Calloway, Annie Ross, or the genius that is Anita O'Day), but Ella's use was unmatched. I always point to Gospel and early Country as 2 other important players in what would come with Rock'N'Roll. Look at Jimmie Rodgers yodels, or the runs and swoops of Mahalia Jackson. They all helped to create a perfect blend that led to all of the insane heights Rock would take vocals.

To me there are few things a vocalist can do that match the high wire act of scat singing. It takes a keen ear, superb musicianship, and a whole lot of guts. It is one of the key reasons why Ella stands as a top 5 vocalist in all genres. She really forged an extraordinary path as an artist."

Posted by Chris F.

That's RIGHT, Chris !! And that's ALSO why ELLA should have been inducted as an "Early Influence"
DECADES ago !!

Posted by Bill G. on Friday, 10/19/2018 @ 15:44pm

Chris F., when someone posts something in any thread, whether they are specifically talking to one entity or not, due to the nature of this forum, anyone can jump in & give their 2 cents.

There's one entity that doesn't seem to understand this...

Posted by Paul in KY on Friday, 10/19/2018 @ 15:45pm

Bill G.,

I have never understood how Ella isn't in yet as an influence. Years ago I thought by this point in time we would be talking about the next tier of Jazz Artists who should be inducted. Artists like Nancy Wilson and Anita O'Day to name a few. Billie Holiday was always the obvious first choice, but Ella and Sarah Vaughan should have been through the door at roughly the same time. It is one of the reasons I was surprised to see Nina Simone nab an induction. She came after that holy trinity, and really grew from what they had accomplished. For me personally Fitzgerald has always been the big glaring omission from the Influence category. Largely because of her name recognition, and ability to maintain a high profile decades after her passing. I am hoping the Hall rectifies that this year with no nominee like Simone or Tharpe pulling attention away from the category.

Paul,

That one entity is why I have tried to not just blow into a conversation. I do not want to derail a conversation by throwing in my sometimes unnecessary two cents. I certainly don't want it to come across as speaking for someone. I try and only comment when someone like you, or Bill, or Phillip make a statement because the discussion tends to be a little more fruitful. I only prefaced it to avoid some random comment about how I had no right to jump in. Which I am sure may still follow. Next time I will just throw caution to the wind!

Posted by Chris F. on Friday, 10/19/2018 @ 17:39pm

Early Influence

Posted by Roy on Sunday, 05/9/2021 @ 21:30pm

She has an amazing and beautiful voice its as god sent her a beautiful voice

Posted by Cesia on Friday, 03/25/2022 @ 11:14am

I'm surprised she hasn't made it in as an Early Influence.

Posted by Joe S. on Friday, 03/25/2022 @ 13:59pm

Whoever does the voting sure doesn't know or appreciate the wonderful contribution and influence that Miss Ella has given to every genre of music. It is a total travesty these moronic so called 'experts' who vote every year and leave her name off of their list of honorees...since 1982. How can you put the likes of Janet Jackson in and not put Miss Ella in? With out her influence, there would be NO JJ, Whitney Houston or Tina Turner or any other female that sneaks in to this sexist group that disguises themselves as experts. I thought these people are supposed to know music. They just ought to be ashamed of themselves!

Posted by Emily Blackmon on Wednesday, 05/25/2022 @ 04:08am

You seriously need to stop putting all these sugar coated popsy topsy jive less rubbish and put the great pioneers like Ella, The Duke,The Count, and Arthur Crudup

Posted by Ernesto Escobar on Thursday, 06/27/2024 @ 02:12am