American National Biography Online, accessed December 23, 2014, via Oxford African American Studies Center database: |b (Fitzgerald, Ella; jazz singer; Ella Jane Fitzgerald; born 25 April 1917 in Newport News, Virginia, United States; sent to segregated New York State Training School for Girls in Hudson (1934); Chick Webb, was persuaded to give her a try in his band (1935); was among the very first African-American women invited to join American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) (1940); began a long association with Decca Records’ Milt Gabler (1943); joined producer Norman Granz’s newly formed organization Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) (1949); her best recordings fall mainly in the decade between 1956 and 1966; produced exceptional live albums such as Ella Fitzgerald at the Opera House (1957) and Ella in Rome (1958); was generous contributor to charities, notably to the organization in Los Angeles named in her honor, the Ella Fitzgerald Child Care Center; died 15 June 1996 in Beverly Hills, California, United States)

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was born in Newport News, Virginia, to William and Temperance Fitzgerald. She was first discovered in an amateur contest and became the first African-American woman to win a GRAMMY, eventually winning 13 total. Known as the “First lady of song,” she sold millions of albums throughout her singing career.

Arthur Freed (1894-1973) was born Arthur Grossman in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a lyricist and Academy Award-winning film producer, producing such films as “An American in Paris,” “Singin’ in the rain,” and “Meet me in St. Louis.”

Will Friedwald is an American author as well as jazz and cabaret critic. He has authored nine books and nearly five hundred liner notes for compact discs, for which he has received eight Grammy nominations. He has written for newspapers and magazines include Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New York Sun, The Village Voice, Vanity Fair, BBC Music Magazine, and Oxford American, among other publications.

Rudolf Friml (1879-1972) was born Rudolf Antonin Frymel in Prague, moving permanently to the United States in 1906. He composed several operettas, including “The firefly” and “The three musketeers.”