Ella Fitzgerald Honored with Stamp
A new 39-cent stamp was released this year honoring the first lady of song, Ella Fitzgerald. The stamp is the 30th in the Black Heritage series, which includes stamps of Marian Andersen, Thurgood Marshall, Malcolm X, and Langston Hughes.
Ella Fitzgerald, a native Virginian born in Newport News, went on to become one of the most recognizable voices in music with a vocal range spanning three octaves. At an early age she began winning talent competitions, breaking into the professional music business when she was hired to sing with Chick Webb's orchestra. She became known for her scat singing and performed with great musicians and composers such as Dizzie Gillespie, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer. During her career, she won many awards including 13 Grammy's.
For more information on Ella Fitzgerald, visit her official website: http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/ or the biography on PBS.org: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/fitzgerald_e.html. For more information on the Black Heritage series stamps, visit the U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs website: http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/blackhis/stamps.htm.
--Donna Coghill, Director, Marketing & Public Relations - VCU Libraries