Ella Fitzgerald in the Village
Greenwich Village has drawn countless determined artists and performers into its midst. While she is known for launching her career at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, Ella Fitzgerald also occasionally performed on a more intimate stage in the Village at Cafe Society alongside other future stars.
Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25, 1917. She had an incredibly difficult childhood; she had lost both of her parents by age 15 and ended up in an orphanage in the Bronx. Yet she survived her teenage years by beginning her career in Harlem, where she won the chance to sing at the Apollo at age 17. Accounts from this period of her life include band leaders and theater managers describing her as ‘unkempt,’ likely due to surviving on her own at such a young age. But when they gave her a chance, theater managers and audiences alike were so stunned by her talent that they had to let go of their unfair biases.
During this time she met drummer and bandleader Chick Webb, who signed her to perform regularly with his orchestra at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom. This fateful collaboration brought about one of Fitzgerald’s most famous recordings, her energetic, scatting version of “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” When Webb passed away in 1939, Fitzgerald became the bandleader of the orchestra.
Meanwhile, shoe salesman Barney Johnson had been frequenting spots like the Apollo and Savoy Ballroom for years. In 1938 he realized his dream of opening an integrated nightclub further downtown, at Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village. Cafe Society was one of very few places in New York City outside of Harlem where Black musicians could perform. It quickly became an exciting gathering place for both Black and white audiences to listen to live jazz music, socialize, and exchange ideas. The heyday of Cafe Society coincided with the start of Fitzgerald’s jazz career. She was one of many jazz performers who performed at the Cafe Society and later earned international acclaim. Others include Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Nat King Cole, and Billie Holiday, who performed her haunting classic ‘Strange Fruit’ for the very first time at the club.
Like so many community spaces ahead of their time, Cafe Society met an early end. By 1949, the club had gained a reputation amongst law enforcement as a ‘dangerous’ spot due to the presence of leftist intellectuals, particularly Black leftists, who gathered there. Cold War anticommunist panic led to Barney Josephson and his club associates being investigated by the FBI. The ensuing legal battles left Josephson nearly bankrupt, forcing him to close Cafe Society in 1949.
Ella Fitzgerald went on to have long and legendary career up until her death in 1996. She won 13 Grammy Awards, and is considered one of the greatest jazz singers of all time.