# Ella Fitzgerald's 100th birthday today **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ella-fitzgeralds-100th-birthday-today/785252 "2017-04-26T00:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ella-fitzgeralds-100th-birthday-today/785252/1 "2017-04-26T00:07:32Z")
I love a lot of her work, although I’m not particularly interested in her scat singing. I especially loved the Verve songbook albums she did in the 50’s and 60’s, and her duets with Louis Armstrong. Her voice could be cool or warm and deep. I will say, as much as I loved her style and skill, her phrasing in those American standards was sometimes a little off. There was also often a sense that she didn’t always feel the songs as deeply as some other singers did, or at least she didn’t project that level of feeling. But I am always glad to listen to her work and I’m very grateful she was around to share it with us. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ella-fitzgeralds-100th-birthday-today/785252/2 "2017-04-26T01:12:41Z")
Huge Ella fan here. I saw her perform several times, from the mid 60s until the late 80s. The last time I saw her, she could barely see, or stand without leaning, but the voice and talent were still there. Someone requested “Lady Be Good” as an encore, and she asked “Which one?”, to which I yelled out “Both.” Sure enough, she sang the slow version followed by the fast, to a standing ovation. More than any other singer, her recordings of the songbooks are the gold standard of the Great American Songbook… even with the flaws. And her live recordings from her many jazz clubs and festivals are special examples of her spontaneity, as well as her duets with Armstrong. Happy birthday, Ella! And wow, her 100th is a day after Streisand’s 75th! ---
**Author:** ![South\_Side](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@South\_Side](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/South_Side)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ella-fitzgeralds-100th-birthday-today/785252/3 "2017-04-29T16:14:16Z")
The First Lady Of Song. Although I knew her 100th was happening, I didn’t realize it was this past week. Just yesterday I listened to Heat Wave, Preview and Summertime with Louis Armstrong. These plus many others are so sublime. For something vastly different than her singing, if you haven’t seen the movie Let No Man Write My Epitaph, you should check it out. She plays a junkie. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ella-fitzgeralds-100th-birthday-today/785252/4 "2017-04-29T17:04:36Z")
I love Ella! (who doesn’t, right?) I was recently introduced to her Live in Berlin record, and it’s quickly become one of my favorites. I particularly dig… Well all of it, but it’s notable for her version of Mac the Knife where she forgets the words, and sings her way through with style and grace. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6vXAtVbZbkI/hqdefault.jpg "Mack The Knife- Mack The Knife - Ella In Berlin.wmv") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vXAtVbZbkI) Let’s not waste a thread. Who else has favorite songs they would like to post? ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ella-fitzgeralds-100th-birthday-today/785252/5 "2017-04-29T17:17:09Z")
Oh, when I went to look for mac I also found this. Her band was insane. Too. Oscar Peter. Papa Joe Jones. Roy Eldridge, Herb Ellis. Good stuff. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PrVu9WKs498/hqdefault.jpg "Ella Fitzgerald- "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" 1957 (RITY Archives)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrVu9WKs498) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ella-fitzgeralds-100th-birthday-today/785252/6 "2017-04-29T19:01:21Z")
In tribute, I will present the rest of this post in scat: shib bob baloo zim bam badang a lomoroo tin tin fan puttow iziba faloo! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ella-fitzgeralds-100th-birthday-today/785252/7 "2017-04-29T19:37:58Z")
I had a roommate at uni who was a huge Ella and Oscar fan. HUGE. We heard it day and night, for a year! Been a huge fan myself ever since! Happy BDay Miss Ella !!