It’s scarin’ time! Grab your popcorn and watch Mike and Sulley fill up those scream canisters in this classic silent film style.
The Story Of Bing Crosby And How He Changed Media Forever
In 1946 Bing Crosby was the king of media. He was the movie star, the pop star and his radio show was reaching a third of American living rooms each week. But then, it all started to fall apart. His ratings were plummeting and his fans were fleeing. Bing however, was not going down without a fight.
Today, the story of how Bing Crosby and some stolen Nazi technology won his audience back, changed media forever and accidentally broke reality along the way.
She & Him Return With ‘Melt Away: A Tribute To Brian Wilson’ Out July 22
Ahead of the release of Zooey Deschanel (She) & M. Ward (Him)’s Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson, via Fantasy Records on July 22, the duo has premiered a charming rendition of Darlin’, the hit single from The Beach Boys’ 1967 album, Wild Honey.
She & Him’s seventh studio album is a loving, LP-length tribute to one of the greatest living American songwriters and singers – Brian Wilson. Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson finds Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward diving deep into the legendary artist’s extensive songbook, offering fascinating and delectable new spins on time-honoured classics and overlooked gems alike. These 14 covers are infused with the familiar magic that She & Him fans know and love, opening a new window into Wilson’s iconic catalog. Wilson even features on Do It Again with Zooey and M. Ward for the album. The band has enjoyed a friendship, and mutual appreciation, with Wilson over the years and She & Him was previously a guest vocalist on his 2015 album, No Pier Pressure.
“In the spring of 2020, we started a list of our favourite Brian songs — a very long list,” the duo explains. “We chose songs without any regard to their chart performance. The obscure ones hit us just as hard as the more popular songs — and all are ripe for re-imagining, re-interpreting, and re-inventing. Brian writes songs of beauty and loneliness and vulnerability better than anyone — and by sequencing them next to popular songs of confidence and love and fun, it creates a more complete picture of life on earth.”
Brian Wilson comments on Melt Away, “Zooey and Matt did such mind-blowing versions of our songs. The harmonies are beautiful and right on. I love this record!”
The album’s first single, Darlin’, comes replete with a QVC-inspired video directed by Lara Jean Gallagher. A perfect intro to the album, the Darlin’ clip finds the pair trading lead vocals while doing their best to sell nail polish to the masses.
Melt Away is Deschanel and Ward’s follow-up to 2016’s holiday album, Christmas Party, and it marks their second record of non-holiday covers since 2014’s Classics, which topped Billboard’s U.S. Folk Albums chart on release. It’s the latest display of remarkable talent from She & Him, who have wowed listeners for over 15 years with their gorgeous and warm indie-pop.
As Deschanel has maintained a successful acting career and Ward continued his own singular solo career as a producer and singer-songwriter, the duo continues to sound like the perfect match in the studio—with Zooey’s dramatic vocals excellently pairing with Matt’s textured, tuneful arrangements and production.
The band is on tour this year across North America, including a stop at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver on June 18.
TRACK LIST:
1. Darlin’
2. Wouldn’t It Be Nice
3. Til I Die
4. Deirdre
5. Melt Away
6. Good To My Baby
7. Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
8. Don’t Worry Baby
9. This Whole World
10. Kiss Me, Baby
11. Do It Again ft. Brian Wilson
12. Heads You Win, Tails I Lose
13. Please Let Me Wonder
14. Meant For You
TOUR DATES:
6/13 Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
6/14 Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
6/16 Forest Grove, OR @ Grand Lodge Hotel and Property
6/17 Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
6/18 Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
6/20 Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Festival Pavilion
6/22 Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
6/23 Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery
6/24 San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s
6/25 Los Angeles, CA @ The Ford
9/9 Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap
9/16 Grand Rapids, MI @ Frederik Meijer Gardens
SEVENTEEN Announces “Be The Sun” World Tour
In celebration of their forthcoming album, Face The Sun, Korean Pop Band SEVENTEEN announce ‘BE THE SUN’ – the supergroup’s first world tour in over two years which will kick off on June 25 with two consecutive dates in Seoul, to be followed by shows produced by Live Nation in 12 North American cities. The North American leg begins on August 10th at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC making stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and more before wrapping up in Newark at Prudential Center on September 6th.
SEVENTEEN will release their 4th studio album Face the Sun at midnight (ET) on May 27. The 9-track album with the lead single “HOT” has already racked up over 1.74 million pre-order sales in its first week, reaching an all-time high for the band.
Racking up 2 billion streams and selling 10 million albums, SEVENTEEN—comprised of S.COUPS, JEONGHAN, JOSHUA, JUN, HOSHI, WONWOO, WOOZI, THE 8, MINGYU, DK, SEUNGKWAN, VERNON and DINO—has rocketed to the forefront of the music scene fueled by a fiercely independent spirit and a nonpareil in-house creative ecosystem. The group’s innovative structure hinges on the interplay of three units: hip-hop, vocal, and performance. Living up to the title of “K-pop Stage-breakers,” SEVENTEEN has unassumingly made history and become one of the biggest groups ever due to their world-class synchronization, jaw-dropping choreography, and tight teamwork. Moving at an unparalleled pace, the K-pop stage-breakers made their U.S. television debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden in January 2021 and followed it with unforgettable performances on The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and MTV’s Fresh Out Live. SEVENTEEN’s latest EP Attacca debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart and No. 13 on the Billboard 200. It sold over 1.3 million copies in the first week of release, earning the K-pop superstars the “quintuple million seller” title as it joins their last four consecutive releases—An Ode, Heng:garæ and ; [Semicolon], Your Choice—in selling over 1 million copies each.
TOUR DATES:
Sat Jun 25 & Sun Jun 26 – Seoul – Gocheok Sky Dome*
Wed Aug 10 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Fri Aug 12 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sun Aug 14 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Wed Aug 17 – Los Angeles, CA – KIA Forum
Sat Aug 20 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Tue Aug 23 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
Thu Aug 25 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sun Aug 28 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Tue Aug 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Thu Sep 01 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
Sat Sep 03 – Toronto ,ON – Scotiabank Arena
Tue Sep 06 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
*Not A Live Nation Date
About SEVENTEEN
N.E.R.D.’s Lapdance + AC/DC’s Back in Black = Fantastic
DJ Cummerbund has fruitfully combined N.E.R.D.’s Lapdance with AC/DC’s Back in Black to create a fresh look – and listen – of two classics.
Billie Eilish Sings ‘Happier Than Ever’ with The Count on Sesame Street
Billie Eilish and The Count sings Happier Than Ever, a beautiful ballad to each other about how when they’re counting together, numbers sound so much better and it makes them happier than ever.
LASSO MONTREAL announces 12 more artists to join its first edition including James Barker Band and The Reklaws
The very first edition of LASSO presented by Bell in collaboration with Coors Original is fast approaching, and 12 carefully curated new acts have just been announced! On August 12th and 13th, Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau will be the site of a massive country music party, with all the fixins fans have come to expect from evenko’s cutting edge music festivals. The multi-day modern country music festival is sure to thrill fans, old and new, with some of the most inspiring artists of the entire genre coming together for an energy hoedown!
In addition to superstar headliners Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, as well as previously announced favourites like Nashville’s Old Dominion (playing for the first time in Montreal), critical darling Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, and Kelsea Ballerini, the inaugural edition of the fest is chock full of talent and twang.
On Friday, Ontario’s James Barker Band, who are are all about feeling good together in the summertime will be on hand – the Juno-winning outfit also won Single of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Awards for the hit Chills, and they’ve got a new single out with headliner Dierks Bentley. Canada’s Steven Lee Olsen will prove why he is one of this country’s top country talents, having written songs performed by some of country’s most important artists like Keith Urban, Garth Brooks, Rascal Flatts, Billy Currington, The Judds, Dallas Smith and many others. American singer and reality TV star, Alexandra Kay (who is currently getting ready to go on tour with the one and only Tim McGraw) will surely add more fans to her TikTok following (which is growing exponentially everyday – over 2 million and counting), while Montreal’s country punkers, Yesterday’s Ring, will reunite for the special occasion. Rising star, Jojo Mason, will be on hand as well – the multiple CCMA nominee is looking forward to performing under a sky full of stars, while Quebec’s Mountain Daisies, Ontario’s Sacha (named one of CMT’s “Next Women of Country” for 2021), and Alberta’s Sykamore round out Friday’s lineup.
On the second day, Canadian country duo, The Reklaws, will have the audience singing along to their catchy tunes (their hit Long Live the Night was the most-streamed domestic song of all Canadian country artists). Festival goers will also have the opportunity to see 3 rising stars of Canada’s thriving country music scene: Ontario’s Griffen Palmer, winner of NBC’s Songland, and Madison Kozak, who has shared the stage with luminaries like Reba McIntyre, Tanya Tucker, Willie Nelson and Keith Urban, plus local talent, Phil G Smith, who will represent Quebec country in all of its swinging glory.
LASSO is also an opportunity to explore much of the incredible homegrown talent from right here. “We are excited to give our Quebec and Canadian artists an opportunity to perform on the same stages as some of the biggest names in country music,” says Nick Farkas, Senior Vice President, Booking, Concerts and Event at evenko.
Stay tuned for more exciting announcements, as well as the list of artists performing across Montreal on August 11 for LASSO in the City.
Kendrick Lamar Announces The Big Steppers Tour
Kendrick Lamar takes the global stage once again for The Big Steppers Tour, sponsored by Amazon Music, Rotation and Cash App. Baby Keem will support on all dates and Tanna Leone on select dates.
General on sale starts Friday, May 20th at 12pm local time on oklama.com
TOUR DATES:
Tue Jul 19 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Thu Jul 21 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Fri Jul 22 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sat Jul 23 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Sun Jul 24 – Miami, FL – Rolling Loud
Wed Jul 27 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Fri Jul 29 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Sat Jul 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Sun Jul 31 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Tue Aug 02 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Thu Aug 04 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Fri Aug 05 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sat Aug 06 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sun Aug 07 – Long Island, NY – UBS Arena
Tue Aug 09 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Wed Aug 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Fri Aug 12 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Sat Aug 13 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Sun Aug 14 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Tue Aug 16 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Thu Aug 18 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Fri Aug 19 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sat Aug 20 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Sun Aug 21 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Tue Aug 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Wed Aug 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
Fri Aug 26 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Sat Aug 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sun Aug 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Tue Aug 30 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Wed Aug 31 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Thu Sep 01 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Tue Sep 06 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena at San Diego State University
Wed Sep 07 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
Fri Sep 09 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Sat Sep 10 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
Tue Sep 14 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Wed Sep 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Fri Oct 07 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
Mon Oct 10 – Prague, CZ – O2 Arena
Tue Oct 11 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes-Benz Arena
Thu Oct 13 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena
Sat Oct 15 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
Mon Oct 17 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena
Wed Oct 19 – Oslo, NO – Telenor Arena
Fri Oct 21 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
Mon Oct 24 – Stuttgart, DE – Scheleyerhalle
Tue Oct 25 – Zurich, CH – Hallenstadion
Wed Oct 26 – Laussane, CH – Vaudoise Aréna
Fri Oct 28 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis
Sun Oct 30 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena
Mon Oct 31 – Frankfurt, DE – Festhalle
Wed Nov 02– Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Thu Nov 03 – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
Fri Nov 04 – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena
Sat Nov 05 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon Nov 07 – London, UK – The O2
Tue-Nov 08 – London, UK – The O2
Sun Nov 13 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
Wed Nov 16 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Thu Dec 01 – Perth, AUS – RAC Arena
Sun Dec 04 – Melbourne, AUS – Rod Laver Arena
Thu Dec 08 – Sydney, AUS – Qudos Bank Arena
Mon Dec 12 – Brisbane, AUS – Entertainment Center
Fri Dec 16 – Auckland, NZ – Spark Arena
Carol Kaye and Peter Asher to be Honored at 37th Annual TEC Awards
The NAMM TEC Committee is pleased to announce pioneer and bassist extraordinaire Carol Kaye as the recipient of this year’s Les Paul Innovation Award alongside top hitmaker, producer, and performer, Peter Asher, who will be inducted to the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame. The Les Paul Innovation Award is given on behalf of the Les Paul Foundation to honor individuals that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of artistry in the spirit of the famed audio pioneer, inventor, and musician, Les Paul. The TEC Hall of Fame induction includes an award that recognizes pioneers of audio technology and the music industry’s most accomplished producers and audio technicians. Kaye and Asher will be honored in-person at the 37th Annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards (TEC Awards) on Saturday, June 4, at The 2022 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.
Michael Braunstein, Executive Director of The Les Paul Foundation says “This year’s Les Paul Innovation Award recipient is a legend in the music industry and a very well deserving individual that played with Les during her career. Carol pioneered a path that pushed open the door for many women in the business and with it, built a legacy that will continue to encourage all people to create incredible sounds just like Les did. Congratulations Carol and welcome to the prestigious list of awardees that celebrate our friend, Les Paul.”
With a career spanning decades, Carol Kaye is not only a pioneer in the male-dominated world of pop recording sessions, but one of the industry’s most prolific musicians. Kaye can be heard on more than 10,000 recordings – from timeless, classic songs to TV and movie scores of almost every kind.
The child of professional musicians, she began playing in 1949 as a professional jazz guitarist in bands around Los Angeles, performing alongside acts such as Jack Sheldon, Teddy Edwards, Billy Higgins, and Bob Neal, all while giving guitar lessons. In 1957, Kaye moved into studio work, notably performing guitar on Sam Cooke’s “Summertime” and “What a Wonderful World.”
In 1963, Kaye switched to the bass guitar when a fellow musician failed to show up for a recording session. Soon she was setting the bass line, often creating her own, and fueling creativity in the sessions.
Her signature style can be heard alongside artists including Herb Alpert; the Beach Boys; Glen Campbell; Ray Charles; Joe Cocker; Dean Martin; Elvis Presley; Lou Rawls; the Righteous Brothers; Simon and Garfunkel; Frank Sinatra; Nancy Sinatra; Sonny and Cher; Barbara Streisand; Frank Zappa and many more. Notably, Kaye played on Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman,” The Beach Boy’s “Good Vibrations,” Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright,” the Monkees’ “I’m A Believer,” and many other top hits, as well the themes to Mission Impossible, Shaft, and all of Quincy Jones’ movies in the 1960s and 70s.
In addition to her time playing, she has authored over 27 bass tutoring books and instructional videos. Her definitive method book, How To Play The Electric Bass, and others, have been cited dozens of times by current studio musicians as their primary source of instruction.
With the receipt of the award, Kaye joins a list of Les Paul winners that include the likes of Joni Mitchell (2020), Peter Frampton (2019), Slash (2015), Pete Townsend (2013), Paul McCartney (2000) and many others.
For his timeless work and artistic innovation, Peter Asher will be inducted and presented with the TEC Hall of Fame award. Throughout his decades-long career in the music industry, Asher has earned the reputation of being one of the industry’s most sought-after producers and performers. His career began in the ‘60s as the other half of the pop group Peter & Gordon. After the group disbanded, Asher was named Director of A&R at the Beatles’ Apple Records label, where he signed a then-unknown James Taylor. Asher would go on to work with the likes of Cher, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Ringo Starr, and many others, earning him three GRAMMY® Awards for his talents.
With the TEC Hall of Fame Award, Asher joins the likes of Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick (2020), Leslie Ann Jones (2019), The Section (2018), Jack Douglas (2017), and many others who have received the award since its founding in 1991.
In addition to the two honorees, the evening will recognize finalists for each of the 28 TEC award categories, which honor the creative achievements of individuals and teams, as well as the companies, products, and technical innovations used in sound recordings, films, broadcast television, and video games. As previously announced, actor, comedian, musician, and producer, Fred Armisen will return to host the evening awards event.
The TEC Awards are made possible through the generosity of sponsors, including Presenting sponsors the Les Paul Foundation; C.F. Martin & Co.; Harman; Eventide; International Music Software Trade Association; L-acoustics; Leapwing; OWC; The Recording Academy; Shure; and Synchrony Financial, with additional support from 100 GROUP; AVID; Broadjam; The Blackbird Academy; CAS – Cineman Audio Society; Game Audio Network Guild (GANG); ixi Mega; Korg; LATAM STAGE; Millennia: MPSE; Musica y Mercado; sE Electronics International, Inc.; Sonic Scoop; Studioexpresso; TASCAM; Wholegrain Digital; Wonder Wonder Sound; WSDG and many others.
Additional information about tickets, finalists, and more is available at www.TECAwards.org
The NAMM Show returns to Anaheim, California, June 3-5, 2022. Registration is now open at https://registration.namm.org
Unreleased Live Concert Of Ella Fitzgerald Performing Songs From Irving Berlin Songbook Out June 24
On August 16, 1958, just a few months after Ella Fitzgerald recorded her now-classic album, Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Songbook, The First Lady Of Song performed selections from that album live at the Hollywood Bowl to an adoring, sold-out crowd. Conducted and arranged by Paul Weston, who also arranged and conducted the studio sessions, this concert marked the only time that Ella performed these iconic arrangements live with a full orchestra.
Widely considered her greatest achievement, Ella’s Songbook records, with peerless renditions of the best songs by America’s greatest composers, are the cornerstone of the Verve catalog and the undisputed standard for jazz vocal recordings. At the inaugural Grammy Awards, her Irving Berlin album won Ella her first Grammy for “Best Vocal Performance, Female,” and was also nominated for “Album Of The Year.” Aside from the lucky audience at the Hollywood Bowl that night, it wasn’t generally known, until the discovery of these tapes, that Ella had ever performed any of the Songbook arrangements in concert, let alone that such a pristine and sonically sumptuous recording existed.
On June 24, Verve will proudly release the full, never-before-released 15-song performance, aptly titled, Ella At The Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook, on CD, vinyl, limited edition yellow splatter vinyl, and digitally. This landmark record, discovered in the private collection of producer and Verve Records founder Norman Granz, marks the first time a live Songbook has been released from Ella. It is also significant in that it captures the only time Ella worked in concert with arranger-conductor Paul Weston. And, although she performed regularly at the Hollywood Bowl, this is the first full-length concert by Ella from this iconic venue to be released (notably, Ella was featured prominently on Verve’s Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl album, recorded and released in 1956, the year Granz formed the label). The live tracks were mixed from the original ¼” tapes by Grammy Award-winning producer and musician Gregg Field who played drums for Ella in her later years. The album is rounded out with insightful liner notes about the concert and Ella’s Songbook series by noted author and music critic, Will Friedwald.
Ella At The Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook is available to pre-order now and is being previewed with a lively rendition of “Puttin’ On The Ritz”. The song debuts today, accompanied by an animated video, directed by Alberto Baroni, that cleverly brings the song and Giulia Pelizzaro’s dynamic album art to life.
While Ella’s live appearances had evolved over the years from her early big band years where she primarily sang in ballrooms with the Chick Webb Orchestra to supper clubs, theatres and concert halls, she mostly stuck to a nightclub format of performing a selection of songs accompanied by a trio. This performance at the Hollywood Bowl was incredibly unique for her. As Friedwald reveals in the liners, “But to come on stage – with a full orchestra – and essentially sing the contents of a studio album, well, nobody did that. Not Sinatra, not Tony Bennett, not Miles Davis, nor any of the other key innovators who contributed to the development of what came to be known as ‘the concept album.” Friedwald continues, “so exactly why did Fitzgerald and Granz choose to face this particular music and dance in this singular fashion? We may never know, but the logical answer is that the songbooks were proving to be such a major component to her burgeoning career that… Fitzgerald and Granz were determined to do something special in honor of the ongoing series.”
And special it was. Across 15 songs, Ella and the orchestra performed dazzling arrangements of some of Irving Berlin’s best-known songs including the classic ballads “How Deep Is The Ocean” and “Supper Time,” Hollywood tunes “You’re Laughing At Me” and “Get Thee Behind Me Satan,” and swinging up-tempo numbers “Cheek To Cheek,” “Top Hat,” “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” “Heat Wave,” and “Puttin’ On The Ritz.” The concert pops with an electricity not found on the studio recording as Ella feeds off the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd, whose applause and adulation bookend each song.
The Hollywood Bowl, which is celebrating its centennial this year, loomed large in Ella’s life. She made her Bowl debut alongside Louis Armstrong in 1956 at a star-studded program, which was released as the double LP, Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl. Ella holds the rare distinction of having sold out the Hollywood Bowl in each of five decades, from the 1950s through the 1990s. Aside from headlining numerous times, Ella, who lived in LA for much of her career, also performed as part of the annual Playboy Jazz Festival; her last appearance was a couple years before her passing in 1996. Read more about Ella and her history with the Hollywood Bowl here: https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/about/watch-and-listen/bowl-history-spotlight-ella-fitzgerald
The voice of Ella Fitzgerald, the songs of Irving Berlin, the timeless arrangements of Paul Weston with an orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl, Ella At The Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook is the pinnacle of American song – live and like never before.
Dubbed “The First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she sold more than 40 million albums and received most every honour a performer could dream of winning, including the Kennedy Center Honour (1979), the National Medal of Arts (1987), France’s Commander of Arts and Letters (1990), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1992) and 13 Grammy Awards. In 2007, the United States Postal Service honoured Fitzgerald with a postage stamp.
In her six-decade long career, the Queen of Jazz recorded more than 200 albums and roughly 2,000 songs, making her the most recorded female – and the second most recorded – performer in history. Among those recordings are works with some of history’s greatest musicians and legendary songwriters.
Fitzgerald’s distinct style has influenced multiple generations of singers and her work transcends generations and musical genres. She had an extraordinary vocal range and flexibility and possessed a preternatural gift for pitch, rhythmic sense and flawless diction. Immensely versatile, she could sing it all from jazz and bebop to ballads, swing, pop and rock. With an unparalleled ability for mimicry and “scat” singing, Fitzgerald also produced melodic lines that put her in the category of great instrumental improvisers. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless.
She passed away due to complications from diabetes, dying in her Beverly Hills home on June 15, 1996.
The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation was created and funded in 1993 by Ella Fitzgerald in order to fulfill her desires to use the fruits of her success to help people of all races, cultures and beliefs. Fitzgerald hoped to make their lives more rewarding, and she wanted to foster a love of reading, as well as a love of music. In addition, she hoped to provide assistance to the at-risk and disadvantaged members of our communities – assistance that would enable them to achieve a better quality of life. The Board of Directors of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation seeks to continue Ella Fitzgerald’s goals by making charitable grants serving four major areas of interest: Creating educational and other opportunities for children; fostering a love and knowledge of music; including assistance to students of music the provision of health care; food, shelter and counselling to those in need and specific areas of medical care and research with an emphasis on Diabetes, vision problems and heart disease.
ELLA AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL: THE IRVING BERLIN SONGBOOK TRACKLISTING
The Song Is Ended
You’re Laughing at Me
How Deep Is the Ocean
Heat Wave
Suppertime
Cheek to Cheek
Russian Lullaby
Top Hat White Tie and Tails
I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
Get Thee Behind Me Satan
Let’s Face the Music And Dance
Always
Puttin’ on the Ritz
Let Yourself Go
Alexander’s Ragtime Band