Amateur Night at the
@apollotheater is no small thing, but 17-year-old Ella Fitzgerald wasn’t thinking much of it in 1934. In fact, her original plan was to dance, but decided against it after being intimidated by some of the other dancers.
“So according to lore, the stage manager said, ‘You’ve got to get out there. Is there anything else you can do?’ And Ella replied, ‘Well, I can sing a little.’ He shoved her out there, she sang a Connee Boswell song, and brought down the house,” recounts archivist Fran Rosman. The contest launched Fitzgerald’s career, and a few months later she was singing with Chick Webb’s band—people couldn’t get enough of her.
In the latest episode of “If This Hall Could Talk,” host
@jessicavosk is joined by vocalist
@samarajoysings , Rosman, and members of Carnegie Hall’s Rose Archives team for an exploration of all things Ella. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. 📷: Courtesy of The Apollo Archives
