South Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Ella Jane Fitzgerald
The First Lady of Song
| | 1917 - 1996 | |
Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News on April 25, 1917. She later moved to New York where her singing talent was discovered at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. Ella was the most popular singer in the world for more than half a century, performing on radio, television, in movies, and in concert halls and nightclubs around the globe. She won 13 Grammy Awards, the Presidential Medal of the Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors, among others. She was honored on a U.S. postage stamp issued in 2007.
Miss Fitzgerald passed away in Beverly Hills, California on June 15, 1996. In her memory, the City of Newport News re-named 24th Street "Ella Fitzgerald Way" on October 11, 2008. The Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center's theater also bears her name.
Erected by Corporation of Newport News, Virginia.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment • Women. In addition, it is included in the Grammy Award Winners, and the Virginia, Corporation of Newport News series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is April 25, 1917.
Location. 36° 59.048′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula, in Hampton Roads, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Norvleate Downing-Gross (within shouting distance of this marker); Pearl Mae Bailey (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 26, 2021
4. Ella Jane Fitzgerald Mural at 26th Street & Jefferson Avenue
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 27, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 828 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 27, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
