Baltimore was full of popular jazz clubs during Billie’s early years.
ÉDITH PIAF THE GREATEST FRENCH SINGER OF ALL TIME
FULL NAME: Édith Giovanna Gassion
BORN: DECEMBER 19, 1915, PARIS, FRANCE
DIED: OCTOBER 10, 1963, GRASSE, FRANCE
NATIONALITY: FRENCH
Édith’s nickname was Little Sparrow.
THE LITTLE SPARROW
French national icon Édith Piaf is considered the greatest and most popular French singer in history. The much-loved singer-songwriter remains one of France’s greatest international stars.
While little is known for certain about her early years, Édith Giovanna Gassion led a difficult life of health problems and family troubles, and her songs are often autobiographical. Édith’s mother left after Édith was born, and the young girl lived with various family members. Eventually, she joined her father and became a street singer and acrobat. As a teenager, Édith gave birth to a daughter, Marcelle, who died of an illness at the age of two.
Édith’s street performances took her all over Paris, but her big break would come in 1935, when she was discovered by a nightclub owner. That year, two significant things happened: she had her stage debut at the popular Le Gerny club and recorded two albums. Her songs told of her life on the streets, and her voice was raw, powerful, and full of emotion. Her most iconic songs, including “La Vie en rose,” “Mon Dieu,” and “Non, je ne regrette rien” tell stories of love and sorrow and have become anthems in France and across the globe. The name “Piaf” is the French slang for “sparrow,” and Édith was dubbed the “Little Sparrow” for her tiny frame and nervous energy. (She was only 4 foot 8 inches.)
Édith was an incredible performer, considered to be one of the best of the 20th century. She became one of the most popular performers in France during World War II, and she eventually toured the globe, including performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Paris’ Olympia Theater. There was criticism of her wartime performances for the occupying German Nazi army. However, after the Liberation of Paris, it was revealed that Édith had likely been working in secret for the French Resistance and helping Jews flee the invading Nazis.
A 2012 French postage stamp honoring the incredible singer and national icon
As a teenager, the young Édith was an acrobat and singer around the streets of Paris, France (seen here circa 1920).
I REGRET NOTHING
Sadly, despite her triumphal rags-to-riches story, Édith’s misfortunes continued. Her life was full of sadness, including the death of a lover, addictions, health problems, serious car accidents, and scandal—but she refused to give up. When she died at the age of only 47, tens of thousands of people attended her funeral. One of her later songs, “Non, je ne regrette rien” (“No, I Regret Nothing”) perfectly sums up Édith’s difficult life and determination. Her life was beset by struggle, but this only made the Little Sparrow work harder. To this day, her songs continue to touch people—in France and across the globe. In 2007, a movie was made of her life, called La Vie en Rose, which won an Academy Award. So widespread is her influence, a small planet, 3772 Piaf, has been named after her. More than 50 years after hear death, Édith is still an icon and inspiration for writers, artists, and musicians for her passion and determination.
ELLA FITZGERALD FIRST LADY OF SONG AND QUEEN OF JAZZ
FULL NAME: Ella Jane Fitzgerald
BORN: APRIL 25, 1917, NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, U.S.A.
DIED: JUNE 15, 1996, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.
NATIONALITY: AMERICAN
Ella Fitzgerald, captured in a 1946 photograph by William P. Gottlieb
THE EARLY DAYS OF JAZZ
To this day, Ella Fitzgerald holds the crown as the Queen of Jazz. Lady Ella, as she was known, had one of the most recognizable voices in music and is considered to be one of the most important jazz and blues artists of all time. In addition, she was the most popular female jazz singer for more than 50 years and helped create the musical genre we know today.
Ella was born in Virginia, but she and her mother soon moved to New York. Ella had a happy childhood, playing baseball, dancing, and singing with her friends. She grew up in a mixed-race neighborhood, removed from the segregation experienced in other parts of the U.S.A. When Ella was 15, her life changed. Her mother died in a car accident. Ella moved in with her aunt, but never settled in. She was often in trouble with the police, spent time in reform school, and—during the Great Depression—was alone and broke. She would later say these experiences helped her music greatly.
ELLA’S BIG BREAK
In 1934, Ella got her break, when her name was picked at random to perform in Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater, in Manhattan. She had planned to dance, but at the last minute she decided to sing. The crowd booed young Ella as she came onto the stage—but as soon as she started singing, the crowd was hooked. They even asked for an encore. Ella, and her adoring audiences, never looked back. She went on to win numerous talent shows and was eventually hired to travel with Chick Webb’s band. As the big band sound moved into “bebop” jazz, Ella was at the forefront. She was the master of the new jazz sounds of bebop and scat. In 1938, Ella found fame through recording A-Tisket, A-Tasket. The album sold one million copies and hit the number-one spot.
UNITING AUDIENCES
A star in her own right, Ella performed with top jazz singers and musicians of the day, including Dizzie Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Count Basie. Ella became a regular on popular TV variety shows, including The Frank Sinatra Show, The Tonight Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show. At a time of troubled race relations, Ella was popular with both black and white audiences. Her voice brought together people of all backgrounds, religions, and nationalities; the fans loved her. Ella’s manager felt strongly that his musicians should be treated equally, regardless of their skin color, and his tours ensured there was no discrimination at hotels, restaurants, or venues. However, discrimination still reared its ugly head. The Mocambo was a very popular nightclub in West Hollywood in the 1950s, in spite of the fact it would not book non-white acts. Superstar Marilyn Monroe (see here) was a big fan of Ella’s and a supporter of civil rights. In 1955, Marilyn called the owner of the Mocambo, requesting that he book Ella immediately. For this, she said she would book a front-row table every night and the press would go wild. Marilyn stayed true to her word. Ella was able to sell out large venues, and her popularity rose. Ella went on to tour all over the world and played multiple shows at Carnegie Hall, in New York City.
THE QUEEN OF JAZZ
In total, Ella recorded more than 200 albums and sold more than 40 million records. She won hundreds of awards in her lifetime, including 13 Grammy Awards, as well as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, in 1967. She was inducted into the