She earned multiple nicknames, including the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella.

Ella Fitzgerald had several early hits, including "Love and Kisses" and "(If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)", but it was her 1938 version of the nursery rhyme, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket", a song she co-wrote, that brought her public acclaim. "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" became a major hit on the radio and was one of the biggest-selling records of the decade.

I got rhythm, I got music, I got my man
Who could ask for anything more?
I've got daisies in green pastures
I've got my man

The Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Jordan version of this Christmas classic peaked at No. 9 on Billboard's Most-Played Juke Box Records chart and at No. 17 on Billboard's Best-Selling Popular Retail Records chart in 1949.

She worked as an actress on a handful of films, beginning with Ride 'Em Cowboy, a comedy-western starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.

Verve Records is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue. It was founded by Norman Granz to produce new recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, whom he managed. The first album the label released was Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book.

The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon

She suffered from diabetes, which took much of her eyesight and forced her to have both legs amputated below the knee in 1993. She never fully recovered from the surgery and never performed again.

Her accolades included fourteen Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

During her 50-plus year career, Ella recorded over 200 albums and sold over 40 million albums, making her more than worthy of the title "First Lady of Song."