First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald for the Record

by Geoffrey Mark Fidelman

Chronicles the personal life and singing career of the well-known jazz artist and discusses her impact on contemporary music

Genres: Biography, Music

379 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars (liked it)

This book very thoroughly covers the chronology of Ella's songs, albums, and live performances by an author who is clearly a fan. Unfortunately, through no fault of the author, there is little revealed about Ella beyond her music because, as the author states, both she and those close to her were very private about her personal life. However, for true fans of her music, this is a fun book to read while stopping to listen to/view the audio/video of the noted songs/live performances.

[Ray Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very complete account of Ella Fitzgerald's life and career. Owing to very few sources, the story of her early life and family is minimal. She grew up in New York City with a complicated family that left her on her own at an early age. While still a teen, she won a singing contest which led to her becoming locally famous as a young phenom. This was her ticket to the Savoy Ballroom and Chick Webb. The rest is history.

It would be nice to report that there are stories and details that bring Harlem in the 30s to life, but there aren't. Only a few dozen pages into the book, Fidelman begins the documentation of her performances and recordings. I am a lover of music trivia and found this fascinating, but there is very little personal stuff. This may not be Fidelman's fault as much as Ella lived for her music and worked at it 24/7. Unlike Billy Holiday whose life was a party punctuated with singing, Ella's life seems to have been making records punctuated by performing.

This is a very complete account. Though there are pages that read like an annotated discography, Fidelman covers her struggles with health, her few relationships and ultimately, her legacy. I believe that Ella was not only one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, but one of the great musicians, innovators, and artists. As the big band era fades further into the past, it is our loss to not know this voice. Ella was a gift to music and Mark Fidelman has told her story, perhaps as well as it can be told.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, there is hardly any biographical material about Ella Fitzgerald…however don’t look to this book if you are hoping for anything other than a recitation of her career (in minutiae of dates, musical personnel and every song nuance)by an obviously adoring fan (which is what you would hope an author about a book about Ella would be). Unfortunately, from the beginning, the author goes into great detail of how no one would cooperate or consent to be interviewed for this book, and sadly, it shows in the lack of any substantive information about the subject or any personal details at all. It’s sad, because such an incomparable singer deserves an comprehensive biography.

[Marion Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm doing for research my next novel and decided to read this one. I did not know much about Ella Fitzgerald and this biography gives broad view of her work. There was a lot of information I have gathered about her music but there is little insight into her personality. This book is good for those who love Fitzgerald and to learn about how she created her music rather than who she really is as a human being.

[Holly Ites · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say I was greatly disappointed in learning that this is not a biography, but rather a recitation of Ella's repertoire, made tedious by name-dropping of all the artists she worked with and the artists they worked with and on and on. I also made the mistake of making use of an audio CD, during which the author-as-narrator's overuse of emphasis in wording was a huge distraction.

[Nita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. Was very factual so audoobook was definitely the way to go for me.

[Walter Rabon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tremendous amount of the material is recapping the albums she released and the concerts she sang. While this is good writing for such material this book may not be best suited for any but a real fan. Ella's life was so completely wrapped up in her career and kept mostly private otherwise that there is not likely a better way to do a biography on her. I enjoyed this but am a real die hard Ella Fan.