Ella Fitzgerald

Thought by many to be the greatest female jazz singer ever, Ella Fitzgerald enjoyed unparalleled success via such standards as "Lady be Good" and "I Get a Kick Out of You." At home fronting both large orchestras and intimate string sections, Fitzgerald's greatest strength was her stirring ability to use her voice as a virtual musical instrument in much the same way Benny Goodman controlled his clarinet or Charlie Parker played his saxophone -- notes were hit so quickly and elegantly that their accuracy boggled mind and ear alike. In a career that spanned seven decades, Ella Fitzgerald was the portrait of vocal mastery and jazz improvisation.