Ella Fitzgerald: The First Lady of Song
Ella Fitzgerald began her career in the mid-1930s, initially releasing duets with male singers. Her first major hit came alongside drummer and bandleader Chick Webb with A-Tisket, A-Tasket, which became one of the biggest-selling records of the decade and catapulted them to nationwide fame.
After Webb’s death, Ella continued with the band—now renamed Ella and Her Famous Orchestra—recording 150 songs until 1942, when she decided to go solo. While many of her early recordings leaned towards novelty tunes, the 1940s saw her transition into the world of bebop. Embracing this new style, she became renowned for her scat-singing solos, particularly in collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie. Ella explained her approach simply: “I just tried to do (with my voice) what I heard the horns in the band doing.”
But by 1954, she reached a turning point:
“I had gotten to the point where I was only singing be-bop. I thought be-bop was ‘it’, and that all I had to do was go someplace and sing bop. But it finally got to the point where I had no place to sing. I realized then that there was more to music than bop. Norman Granz felt that I should do other things, so he produced Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book with me. It was a turning point in my life.”
Indeed it was. This marked the beginning of a near-decade-long series of concept albums, each dedicated to a legendary American composer:
Cole Porter (1956), Rodgers & Hart (1956), Duke Ellington (1957), Irving Berlin (1958), George and Ira Gershwin (1959), Harold Arlen (1961), Jerome Kern (1963), and Johnny Mercer (1964).
In many ways, Ella’s interpretations defined these songs for generations. Her recordings are often cited as the definitive versions and are widely praised when discussing the Great American Songbook—an enduring gift to American culture.
If you’re learning to sing or play jazz, exploring the tunes Ella performed is essential—she sang nearly all of them. Between 1950 and 1988, she released an astonishing 61 studio albums and 25 live albums.
Ella Fitzgerald truly was, and remains, The First Lady of Song.
Ella Fitzgerald Tunes | Related Pages
Angel Eyes | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Angel Eyes by Frank Sinatra using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Am Am/G Am/F# Am/F | Am/E Am/Eb |
Try to think that love’s not around…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Angel Eyes (Frank Sinatra) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Baby Won’t You Please Come Home | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play Baby Won’t You Please Come Home by Clarence Williams using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
| D7 | B7 | Em7 | A7 |
Baby won’t you please come home, ’cause your mama’s all alone…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Baby Won’t You Please Come Home (Bessie Smith) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Dream A Little Dream Of Me | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Dream A Little Dream Of Me by Mama Cass using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| C Gbdim7 | Ab6 G |
Stars shining bright above you…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Dream A Little Dream Of Me (Mama Cass) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Get Ready | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Get Ready by The Temptations using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, a backing track, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| F5 | Bb | G5 | C |
And I’m bringing you a love that’s true so get ready, so get ready…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Get Ready – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Misty | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Misty by Ella Fitzgerald using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bbmaj7 | Fm7 Bb7 | Ebmaj7 |
Look at me, I’m as helpless as a kitten up a tree…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Misty. (Ella Fitzgerald) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
My Funny Valentine | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play My Funny Valentine by Chet Baker using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, the original recording, and cover versions.
| Cm | Cmmaj7 | Cm7 | Cm6 |
My funny Valentine, sweet comic Valentine…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: My Funny Valentine (the Real Book) Guitar Lesson with TAB and chord analysis.
Over The Rainbow | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, chord analysis, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Gsus2 /F# | Em /D | Bm7b13 | G7 Amadd4 /B |
Somewhere over the rainbow…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Over The Rainbow – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Summertime | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Summertime by Billie Holiday using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bbm7 F7b9/C | Db6 F7b9/C | Bbm7 F7b9/C | Db6 F7b9/C |
Summertime and the living is easy…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Summertime (Billie Holiday) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Sunshine Of Your Love | Chords + TAB
You can learn to play Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| D blues scale riff | D blues scale riff |
It’s getting near dawn…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Sunshine Of Your Love – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Ella Fitzgerald on the web
