Page 70 - 2019octnov
P. 70
Remembering Some Recording Artists of the 1950's
Source: biography.com
1956 - Ella Fitzgerald - Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)
Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz
singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13
Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums.
Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. She could sing sultry
ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. She worked with all
the jazz greats, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra,
Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. (Or rather, some might say all the jazz greats had
the pleasure of working with Ella.)
1956 - Elvis Presley - Don't Be Cruel
Born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley came from very
humble beginnings and grew up to become one of the biggest names in rock
'n' roll. By the mid-1950s, he appeared on the radio, television and the silver
screen. On August 16, 1977, at age 42, he died of heart failure. Since his death,
Presley has remained one of the world's most popular music icons.
1958 - Frank Sinatra - Come Fly With Me
Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on December 12, 1915, Frank Sinatra rose to
fame singing big band numbers. In the '40s and '50s, he had a dazzling array
of hit songs and albums and went on to appear in dozens of films, winning a
supporting actor Oscar for From Here to Eternity. He left behind a massive
catalog of work that includes iconic tunes like "Love and Marriage," "Strangers
in the Night," "My Way" and "New York, New York." He died on May 14, 1998
in Los Angeles, California.
1958 - Ritchie Valens - La Bamba
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican American singer and songwriter influential in the
Chicano rock movement. He recorded numerous hits during his short career,
most notably the 1958 hit "La Bamba." Valens died at age 17 in a plane crash
with fellow musicians Buddy Holly and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson on
February 3, 1959. The tragedy was later immortalized as "the day the music
died" in the song "American Pie."
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