At Any Age

At Any Age

They were older when

I first met them,

singing and swinging

on television.

Louis and Ella,

the Count and the Duke

already had their place

in jazz history.

They were younger

when I met them

again years later,

at kiosks and in films,

in books and on You Tube.

Learning their craft and

creating the sounds

that turned them into icons.

I learned to appreciate them

 at any age.

Links

American Jazz Museum

ARTSPEAK RADIO presents Whispering Prairie Press

Author Page

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Ella Fitzgerald

As we are nearing the last week of Women's History Month, I am posting a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. She was known as "The First Lady of Song" and had a long and storied career. She also was a groundbreaker in civil rights and an advocate for children, the disadvantaged and the needy.

Read her biography and I think you will be surprised by some of the things you learn. I was and I summed up my feelings in the following poem:

The Unheard Ella

You’ve heard Ella sing and

you’ve heard Ella swing.

You’ve heard her scat and

her tisket a tasket.

But, do you know

Ella was the first African-American

to do a show at the Mocambo?

That she sued the airline

that said her ticket was declined?

That she helped children galore

and today her foundation

continues to do more?

We will always remember

Ella for her songs,

but let’s not forget

that she was a woman

who helped to right wrongs.

 

Related Link

 

Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation

 

 

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