Louis Armstrong, left, makes a guest appearance as Ella Fitzgerald opens at the Empire Room of the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, March 30, 1971. AP Photo
Known as the “First Lady of Jazz” singer Ella Fitzgerald was born April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. From rather humble beginnings Fitzgerald and her smooth, silky voice climbed to the top of the jazz world, reports Biography.com. During her long career she worked with greats from Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong to Dizzy Gillespie and Frank Sinatra. In all Ella recorded over 200 albums and around 2,000 songs in her lifetime. She died on June 15, 1996.